The Omega Mandate
by caeseria
Summary: In the far distant future, mankind lives in regimented cityscapes, watched over by World, who governs everything from behavior to touch. Iruka lives a content but unfulfilled life, until he meets a surface-dweller named Kakashi. Little does Iruka realize how much Kakashi's presence will change his life, along with a secret that threatens to destroy mankind.


**The Omega Mandate**

_'Umino-san. It is past the ninth hour.' _

The respectful, soothing tones of World interrupted Iruka, and he looked up from the data pad he was browsing through. "Hm?" A quick glance at the monitor told him that World was indeed correct – it was past nine pm.

"Shit!" Iruka dropped the pad with a clatter, pushed back his chair and ran toward the door. He'd forgotten that he'd promised to meet Yamato at nine for drinks, and was now late.

He tapped his foot impatiently as he stood in the elevator, watching through the clear glass as the world outside seemed to rise from beneath him. Despite the late hour, there were a few lights visible in the offices of the opposite block, and Iruka looked into each with voyeuristic curiosity. The elevator made a polite sort of chiming noise, indicating they had dropped thirty floors. Iruka glanced at the console: only another 150 floors to go until he reached surface-level.

Iruka worked at the education center on the 279th floor of Building D, in Urb 5. Each building was the same: 300 floors; a mile wide on each side. Three office buildings on each side of a central square, making up the larger, economic hub of the city of Konahagakure. The accommodation area of the city was divided from the economic section by strip of mile-wide parkland. Beyond that, further blocks of living quarters, set up the same way: 300 floors high, a mile square, in regimented lines that radiated out from the hub. It was a perfectly designed city that in total held more than half a billion people.

The elevator chimed again, indicating another thirty floors. Iruka had grown used to that sound; he listened to it with half an ear like most people did. The chimes signaled a transit hub floor, where, if you chose, you could exit and pick up a tube, which would take you across to the next building, and so on. There was no need to ever exit the perfect climate-controlled environment of the towers, no need to ever walk the surface of Terra or breathe the open air. World controlled the environment inside the towers; regulated the heat, provided food and places to buy clothing, dictated seemly behavior between citizens. Every citizen was chipped at birth; World knew where you worked and where you lived, what you ate, what you did for entertainment. There was no money, only credit; you couldn't shop in stores if you didn't meet their credit rating. Stealing was a thing of the past. Misbehavior and impoliteness to others belonged to another century. In all, things were perfect.

And yet Iruka still yearned for something else, something he couldn't name.

Finally, Iruka felt the elevator slow, making his stomach lurch slightly. The elevator doors opened, and Iruka stepped out into the main lobby of the building. The outer doors opened without a sound, and Iruka breathed the outside air for the first time in three weeks.

It was chilly and smelt… _fresh_.

Iruka shivered. He'd not bought a jacket – hell, he didn't think he actually owned one anymore. Who needed a jacket when you lived and worked in a climate controlled environment? He rubbed his arms, trying to soothe away the goose bumps.

Down here on the surface, it felt like the darkness was absolute, broken only by the occasional old-fashioned street lamp that spilled antiseptic, flickering white light onto the ground below. Between illuminations, the dark seemed velvet-deep and Iruka stepped between the light and darkness, picking his way across the deserted street as he headed for the bar. Grass had begun to grow between the cracks in the pavement and an occasional dry leaf blew across his path. Above him, the monstrosity of Building F towered, its windows mostly dark at this time of night. There was nobody around, and suddenly, where Iruka had felt safe before, he suddenly felt very alone. He began to walk beneath the lamp posts, staying mostly in the circle of light. He was so used to everyone observing proper behavior in the towers – not meeting another person's eyes, not staring, and not invading each other's personal space – that the feeling of being watched sent a frisson of unease through him.

He turned his head and there, across the street was a man, watching him. He was tall and slender, with spiky, white hair that looked like it almost defied gravity. He wore a long, ankle-length black coat, and leaned against the lamp post casually. His whole body language was laid-back, yet his gaze was intent on Iruka, almost hungry.

Iruka's footsteps slowed under that intense gaze, and Iruka found he couldn't stop staring back. This far away, he couldn't make out the man's face, but something told Iruka he wasn't a threat. Yet.

"Iruka!"

Iruka tore his gaze away from the man's, almost cricking his neck in the process. Yamato stood at the entrance to one of the older buildings. Iruka waved at Yamato and turned back, looking for the stranger, but he was gone.

Yamato came out from the entranceway and fell into step beside Iruka. "How's things?" he asked.

Iruka grinned. "Good! Sorry I'm late."

"Don't tell me, World had to remind you again," Yamato chided good-naturedly. "You still teaching class?"

Iruka nodded. They reached a set of stairs and began to descend into what had once, many years ago, been a thriving under-city mall. Now it was just a collection of small boutiques and shops, run without input from World. World only controlled what was above the surface. Below was for those that didn't fit society, or didn't want to, or for people like Iruka and Yamato, a place to visit occasionally when you wanted to get away from World's insistence on being Neighborly.

Yamato turned left down a long corridor, lined on each side with darkened shop fronts, and headed toward a brightly lit neon sign that proclaimed 'Bar' in flickering pink letters.

"That sign always makes me laugh," Iruka said, rolling his eyes at Yamato.

"Well, at least it's obvious," Yamato replied with a grin.

Once inside they found a booth near the back corner and settled in, ordering drinks. "So, tell me what you've been up to?" Yamato said, sipping his beer.

"Nothing much; teaching mainly." Iruka shrugged and settled back on the bench.

"Shit, Iruka, do I have to remind you how to hold a conversation these days?" Yamato raised an eyebrow. "You need to get out more. Yanno, socialize with people a little bit more. Maybe get laid."

"I'm fine." Iruka couldn't help but wince at his defensive tone. "I'm out socializing now, aren't I? With you. Holding a conversation, just like real people used to."

Yamato sighed. "Sorry, sorry. I know I can be a prick sometimes."

"Sometimes?" Iruka laughed. "You've been a prick for twenty-odd years, ever since I met you in grade school."

"See, I knew there was a reason I came out tonight. It's been a while since I've been verbally abused by my best friend."

Iruka let out an incredulous laugh. "Let's order food, I'm starving. Then you can fill me in on your big bad lifestyle in the Enforcement Division."

"Jeez," Yamato whined, holding up his hand and gesturing at the waitress. "You make me sound like a bad ass."

"You wish."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Iruka left Yamato at Tower F and hurried across the square, heading back to the building where he taught. From that tower, he could take the tube to the next office building over, transfer across the parkland to one of the accommodation towers, and then tube across the next tower to where he lived. It sounded much more time-consuming and complicated than it actually was; by now Iruka had the route down pat, and could probably do it in his sleep.

Feeling warm with good food and good company, Iruka was glad he didn't have a jacket. This way he could feel the cool breeze on his skin, enjoy the fact he was _outside_ on planet surface. Being inside for too long made Iruka antsy, a little twitchy, although he tried to hide it. He wondered how many other people felt the same.

He began to cut across the mile square block of inner parkland that made up the heart of the Urb, surprised that nobody was around. A couple of years ago, the place would have been teeming with people out doing what he was; breathing the surface air and enjoying being outside. Iruka slowed his pace, thinking hard about that small epiphany.

He almost walked into the stranger, having only seen him at the last minute.

Hands came out to steady him, grasping his shoulders. The stranger's touch was like an electric shock to Iruka's body – it was the first time anyone had touched him in… _years_. "I'm so sorry!" Iruka blurted out, stepping backward. He looked up, automatically making eye contact (which was incredibly un-Neighborly in a public place) and froze.

It was the silver-haired stranger from earlier.

"It's quite all right." The man spoke with a low, gravelly voice – the sort of voice you almost had to strain to hear, to pick up on inflection. "No harm done."

Iruka realized he was staring and broke eye contact immediately. The stranger was stunning. Hot. _Sexy_. All the words that Iruka had forgotten since his teenage years, words he had no need for now. His face felt warm and he realized it was embarrassment, which only made him flush more.

A hand appeared in Iruka's line of sight, which was somewhere around navel level. "Hatake Kakashi."

"Huh?" Iruka looked up again.

"Hatake Kakashi. It's my name." The stranger smiled, sending Iruka's heart rate racing again.

"Oh! Er, Umino Iruka. Pleased to meet you." Iruka reached out and took the stranger's hand, bowing at the same time. He heard the man – Kakashi – chuckle. Kakashi's fingers were cool to the touch and dry. Iruka could remember a time before World had banned casual contact, when people used to shake hands all the time. It was apparently how viruses were passed on, along with illness, and World had deemed it an Unsafe Practice. There were a lot of those.

"Are you well?" Kakashi asked. "You seem confused."

"Sorry. I got sidetracked. I'm fine really."

"Would you like to sit down? Get a drink?"

Iruka laughed, holding up both hands. "No, no, I'm fine, really. Besides, I just had a drink. I don't think I need another one."

"That's a shame." Kakashi almost looked like he was pouting. "I was hoping to get to know you a little better." He raked his gaze across Iruka's body before he met Iruka's stunned gaze once more.

"I – " Iruka was feeling less than eloquent. _Was that actually a pickup line? Is this man really attracted to me or is this a joke? _Iruka wondered. _Fuck it._ Perhaps it was the warmth of the couple of drinks Iruka had had, making him feel brave, or Yamato's goading earlier about getting laid, but suddenly Iruka didn't care. He was on the surface: his actions weren't regulated by World, or the need to be Neighborly, or any such thing. He could do what he liked. It was an incredibly freeing thought.

"I'd – I'd like that," Iruka blurted out before he could change his mind.

The man look surprised for a moment, and then a slow, sexy smile spread across his face. "I'd like that too," Kakashi said. He reached out, his fingers touching Iruka's hand for a moment, caressing along his skin like a promise.

"Where?" Iruka cleared his throat, finding it suddenly thick, perhaps with nervousness. He was committed now. Perhaps he was being foolhardy and stupid, but nonetheless it was exciting. Iruka was already half-hard, just from the thought of what he'd agreed to.

"This way." Kakashi turned and gestured into the expanse of treed parkland. "I know somewhere we can go."

Iruka nodded, shoving his reservations down, and followed Kakashi into the trees.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kakashi's idea of 'somewhere' was a small cabin, hidden from view in a small coppice of trees. It appeared to be a gardener's shed, rarely used, and perfect for late-night assignations, which suited Iruka perfectly. Kakashi picked the lock on the door and stepped inside. He rummaged around, locating a small, old-fashioned camping light, which he turned on.

Iruka shut the door and looked around curiously. It appeared that someone had been sleeping here, as there was a neatly folded futon in one corner, topped with a folded blanket. Iruka stared at both items with abject fascination, wondering if Kakashi was going to unroll them both and take Iruka then and there.

Instead, Kakashi crowded Iruka's space, backing him gently against the wall, and leaned down. Startled, Iruka stepped back, only to remember the wall behind him. Kakashi's lips were surprisingly cool against Iruka's, but gentle. He placed small kisses on Iruka's lips, coaxing rather than demanding, letting Iruka set the pace. It took Iruka a few moments to remember _how_ to kiss, it had been so long. Once he remembered, Iruka became braver. He pressed forward, taking kisses for himself, threading his hands through Kakashi's thick hair. Kakashi parted his lips, and Iruka darted his tongue forward, wanting more. He moaned into Kakashi's mouth, the sound loud and startling in the quiet of the night, and he felt Kakashi smile against his lips.

"That's more like it," Kakashi whispered, leaning in again.

Iruka lost himself in Kakashi's kisses. He found himself gripping hold of Kakashi's shoulders tightly, bunching the fabric under his fists. In-between kisses, Kakashi shrugged off his coat, letting it fall to the floor. Kakashi's hand found Iruka's hip, then slid under his shirt. The first touch of bare skin on Iruka's hip was startling, making Iruka gasp.

"Please," he heard himself say. He wasn't sure what he was asking for, only that he needed _something_.

"Whatever you want," Kakashi said, nuzzling along Iruka's jaw.

Iruka leaned his head back against the wall, giving Kakashi access to his neck. Kakashi worked his way slowly down Iruka's neck, grazing his teeth gently along the skin, sending shivers down Iruka's spine. Iruka's hand found his way to Kakashi's waist, pulling him closer.

Iruka was panting now, his heart racing. Every touch of Kakashi's hands on his skin, every kiss, seemed to ignite something in Iruka, something he'd forgotten he wanted. His world, up until this point, had been sterile and predictable. Now he was happy to kiss it goodbye, like an unwanted memory.

Kakashi dropped to his knees before Iruka and began to undo Iruka's pants. "What –" Iruka gasped, breaking off at the look on Kakashi's face. Kakashi looked determined, and hunger burned in his eyes. His pale skin was flushed across those delicate cheekbones, his hair messy. Iruka was helpless before that look; he could only watch as Kakashi pulled his erection free of his pants, leaned forward, opened his mouth and took Iruka down to the root.

Iruka cried out in shock – hell, he might have even shouted. His knees buckled before he got a figurative grip on himself, fingers grasping at the wall for support.

Kakashi pulled back, humming with approval as he met Iruka's shocked expression. "Hmm, perfect. I've been wanting to do this since I first saw you."

"You – you –" Iruka felt like he'd been stuttering all night, from one conversation to the next. He couldn't form a coherent sentence, especially not when this beautiful stranger had his dick in his hand and his lips around the head of his cock.

Kakashi swirled his tongue around the head of Iruka's cock, sucking hard, before sliding down slowly to the root again. Iruka couldn't stop watching. He was mesmerized by Kakashi, by the stretch of his lips around his erection, the way he moved. Kakashi's hand tightened at the base of Iruka's cock, a warning not to come quite yet. Kakashi's other hand rested on Iruka's hip, pulling him forward, a wordless command to move his hips, to fuck Kakashi's mouth.

Iruka froze. "Kakashi, I can't," he panted. "I'll hurt you if I –"

"You won't hurt me." Kakashi's expression was serious. His fingers tightened on Iruka's hip, his thumb rubbing soothing circles over the skin. "Trust me."

This time he took Iruka all the way down, pulling back fast, grazing his teeth over Iruka's erection. "Oh fuck," Iruka breathed, squeezing his eyes closed. Kakashi repeated the movement, moving his hand from the base of Iruka's cock to hold onto his hips. This time, Iruka had to move. He tried to be careful, to thrust his hips evenly. Kakashi's hands slid over his ass, gripping him hard, pulling Iruka forward into his hot mouth.

And then Kakashi moaned.

Iruka had never heard a more arousing sound before in his life. Heat shot down his spine with an intensity he'd never felt, and his hips snapped forward. Iruka cried out – an animalistic, guttural sound of pleasure. His back bowed, he fell forward, resting one hand on Kakashi's shoulder. He looked down, watching as Kakashi took him all the way down, over and over, lips tight around his cock.

Kakashi was watching him intently and Iruka couldn't look away, not even when he felt a tightness around the head of his erection, knew that his cock was nudging the back of Kakashi's throat.

"Oh shit, fuck –" Iruka knew he was using lots of un-Neighborly words, but he couldn't give a damn, because at that moment, Kakashi's fingers grazed over his hole, and he swallowed around Iruka's cock.

Iruka came harder than he'd ever come before, a sudden, almost painful release that was shocking in its intensity. His hands fisted in Kakashi's shirt and he grit his teeth as the first wave passed. Kakashi continued to work his cock, gentler now, not so forceful, letting Iruka ride his orgasm through to the end.

Iruka watched, breathless yet fascinated, as his come dribbled messily from the corner of Kakashi's mouth, still stretched around his softening cock. "Oh god," was all Iruka could manage to say.

Kakashi pulled off, releasing Iruka with an obscene, wet noise. He grinned. "Hmm," Kakashi said huskily. "That was well worth the effort."

Iruka slid slowly to his knees, until he was level with Kakashi. He reached out, trailed his fingers across Kakashi's bruised, wet lips. "Are you okay?" Iruka panted. "Your voice sounds rough. Did I hurt you?"

Kakashi shook his head, still smiling. "Not at all, it was good. I enjoyed it." He paused for a moment. "I enjoyed watching you."

Iruka flushed. He was on his knees, his spent cock hanging out of his pants, and yet Kakashi's words were what made him feel embarrassed. Incredible. To hide his embarrassment, he leaned forward, kissing Kakashi. Kakashi opened his mouth, let Iruka in. Iruka could taste himself on Kakashi's tongue, and somehow he didn't mind. It wasn't something he'd ever really thought about, but now it felt almost natural.

Iruka wanted more. He wanted to taste Kakashi in his mouth. To feel the heavy weight of Kakashi's arousal on his tongue, to feel his desperation and his need. Yes, that's what he wanted.

He pulled back just enough to speak, his words whispered against Kakashi's lips. "Why don't you pull out that futon over there and I'll return the favor."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Iruka woke slowly, for the first time in six days unassisted by the polite tones of World urging him to rise. _It must be a rest day_, Iruka thought sleepily. He stretched languidly, rolling onto his back. His body felt relaxed, his mind calm. It was a feeling he'd lost recently. _I should go out for drinks with Yamato more often if this is the result._

It took Iruka a few moments to move past his memories of dinner with Yamato and realize why he felt so relaxed.

_Kakashi_.

Iruka flushed with embarrassment, and then he felt a stupid grin break out on his face which he didn't bother to stifle. Who was going to see him anyway? Still grinning, he stretched again, arching his back. His hips felt loose, a pleasant warmth settling in his belly, a reminder of the first mind-blowing orgasm he'd had in years. All that sexual tension –it was gone as if it never existed. He hadn't realized he'd need to get laid that badly, perhaps Yamato had been right.

Thoughts of last night came rushing back and Iruka let himself remember them, not forcing them away. Images flowed through his mind of Kakashi on his knees, watching Iruka intently. Images of Kakashi lying on the futon, legs spread wide, head thrown back as Iruka returned the favor with enthusiasm. Kakashi's long, elegant fingers wound in Iruka's hair, stroking gently, then cupping the back of his neck a little more urgently as Iruka finished Kakashi off. That noise Kakashi had made when he came, gasping out Iruka's name.

Iruka brushed his fingers down across his naked torso, lingering at the point where his hip bone met the waistband of his sleep pants. He let his fingers drift across his skin, feeling goose bumps rise, trailing his fingers back along his side. His stomach flipped pleasantly in that one spot where he was ticklish and he did it again, not really thinking, just feeling; enjoying the moment. He was growing hard and Iruka let it happen rather than doing what he usually did, which would be to force it down, will it away. Instead, his mind explored every detail he could remember of Kakashi and the hours they shared together.

Iruka wanted to do it again. He wondered what it would be like to lie beneath that strong, lean body, to take Kakashi inside him, let Kakashi fuck him hard. To feel that long, thick cock, buried deep inside him, pushing him toward another blinding orgasm. _I should have invited Kakashi back here,_ Iruka thought. _I'm an idiot. What was I thinking?_

_You were thinking with your dick, not your brain, _his mind replied sarcastically.

_So this time I'll use my brain,_ Iruka argued with himself. _If I go back to the surface, if I look hard enough, I might find him. Perhaps he's waiting for me. _Iruka refused to think about how he would feel if he couldn't find Kakashi, or if Kakashi was avoiding him. _Perhaps I'm simply just a one-night stand._

There was only one way to find out.

Using his long years of experience in willing away unwanted erections, Iruka rose from his bed and got dressed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Considering there was half a billion residents living within the confines of Konohagakure – according to World, anyway – Kakashi was surprisingly easy to find. He was leaning against a stone wall within the grounds of the parkland, dressed in that long coat, and sipping something from a cup while reading a paper novel. As Iruka approached Kakashi blew on his drink and sipped it carefully. He looked up and noticed Iruka, a smile breaking out on his face. Hiding his nervousness, Iruka continued to walk toward Kakashi, giving him time to bail out if he wanted to. Instead, Kakashi stood up, pocketed his book and walked toward Iruka.

"Fancy seeing you here," Kakashi said, his smile warm.

The knot of nerves in Iruka's stomach receded somewhat and he returned the smile. "I didn't think I'd find you."

Kakashi tilted his head to the side. "Perhaps I was waiting for you?"

Iruka laughed. "Perhaps you were." Iruka couldn't stop looking at Kakashi, knew he probably looked like one of those stalkers World talked about from the old days. He needed to say something and break the tension. "Listen, Kakashi. I was thinking maybe we could – I could –" he paused and drew a deep breath, "would you like to get something to eat? Maybe come back to my place? It's a rest day and –"

"I'd love to." That deep, calm voice and the sparkle of amusement in Kakashi's eyes did more to reassure Iruka than words alone could.

"Good." Iruka nodded. "Shall we…?" He gestured in the direction of the edge of the park. "Unless you want to eat first?"

Kakashi shook his head. He reached out again, brushed his fingers against Iruka's lax hand. It was the same gesture he had made last night, and as innocent as it was, it send Iruka's pulse racing. Suddenly his earlier fantasy of being laid out on the bed, of having Kakashi inside him was overwhelming.

They walked quickly, side by side, not speaking. It was as though each of them had no need for words at the moment, only an overpowering need to be with each other, to become one. Iruka mentally shook his head. He knew he was being stupid, overly romantic, applying feelings to a situation which was too new for such sentiments. He glanced at Kakashi quickly, who gave him a reassuring smile, although it was faint. Maybe Kakashi did feel the same way as Iruka.

Kakashi slowed down as they approached the doors to the nearest tower and Iruka stopped. "Kakashi, is something wrong?" _Please don't change your mind, not now._

"Nothing's wrong. I just haven't been inside a tower for so long."

Iruka frowned. "Where do you live then? Where do you work? Are you not chipped?" Shit, if Kakashi wasn't chipped, he wasn't a citizen – he was a surface-dweller. World wouldn't admit surface-dwellers to the towers.

"No, I'm chipped," Kakashi replied. "I just prefer the surface. I work down here; live here, by my own choice."

Iruka let out a relieved sigh and smiled. "Good." He stepped through the doors, watching Kakashi as he hesitated again, before following Iruka inside. _One hurdle overcome,_ Iruka thought. _Now all we have to do is refrain from touching each other until we reach my apartment – which is three city blocks, the parkland, and two accommodation towers over. My life is hell._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kakashi settled into Iruka's life with surprising ease over the next week. Kakashi arrived with Iruka on that first day of rest, and simply didn't leave. Not that Iruka wanted him too: for the first time in years, Iruka was in the first flushes of an intense romantic infatuation and the thought of Kakashi going back down to the surface simply didn't cross his mind.

Iruka was fortunate to rent a larger than average apartment – at 900 square feet, it was double the size of a regular single-occupant apartment. It was one of the perks of being an educator; the responsibility of shaping the youth of today into responsible citizens of the future was a hard task and was recognized by World as a Necessary Occupation. Iruka had never been so glad to be employed as a teacher than he was now.

Speaking of which…

_'Umino-san, it is time to rise,'_ intoned World.

Iruka grumbled and rolled over, wrapping an arm around Kakashi's waist. "Fucking alarm clock," Iruka muttered against Kakashi's cool skin. Kakashi laughed, and Iruka felt the sound rumble in Kakashi's chest, against his cheek.

"Rise and shine," Kakashi said, placing a kiss on the top of Iruka's head. "Or I could make you rise another way?" Kakashi turned until he faced Iruka and ran his palm along Iruka's waist, down over his hip. "Oh, I see you're already _up_."

"Don't you dare," Iruka mumbled into Kakashi's neck. "I have to go to work. I can't go with a hard-on. Leave it alone, please."

"No?" Kakashi pulled Iruka closer, sliding a leg between Iruka's thighs. "You sure?"

"Gah," Iruka reluctantly leaned back, pushing Kakashi away. Kakashi let him do it; it was part of the game. Iruka watched as he flopped onto his back, revealing an impressive erection. Iruka's mouth watered at the thought of sucking Kakashi off. He glanced to the side; the clock read 7:03. _Hmm. Maybe I could skip breakfast…_

As it was, Iruka barely made it to class on time. It was the first day of a new term, and it wouldn't do for the teacher to be late to first class. Iruka snatched his data pad from his desk and made his way quickly to his designated classroom. He expected to be confronted by the usual crowd of late students rushing to get their seats, but the hallways were empty. Odd.

He pushed open the door of Classroom 43 and made his way to the desk. He placed the data pad on the desk top, and looked up. A number of wide, unblinking expressions met his: nothing out of the ordinary there, then. They'd be well-behaved until they got to know him better, figured out what made him tick and what made him loose his cool.

"Good morning, class. My name is Umino-sensei."

"Good morning, Umino-sensei," the class parroted back.

Iruka noted the empty chairs while keeping a bland expression on his face. "Please take out your data pads and read through Chapter One of your textbooks. Today we will be discussing un-Neighborly behavior and what it means to society. Any questions?"

The class shook their heads. "Good. You may proceed."

Iruka watched the class settle down to read and sat down at his desk. He glanced at his data pad; noting the list of students, putting names to faces. He frowned. _Only 36 students? That's odd. Last year I had over 75... The year before that I had around 150._

When Iruka had first started school at age five, it wasn't uncommon to have class sizes above 200 students. Were parents not signing their children up for school? No, that wasn't possible. World demanded mandatory attendance for basic schooling. If you were chipped, you had to attend. Not attending class resulted in a loss of status and credit rating as an adult. A bad credit rating meant a subpar job, a smaller living space. It simply wasn't worth it to skip out on class in the long run.

Something was going on, but what exactly, Iruka had no idea. He shrugged, glanced at the class to make sure they were following instructions, and set about working out a comprehensive lesson plan for the next week. God knew by the time he got home, lesson plans would be the last thing on his mind.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So, where are we going exactly? You mentioned an old school friend?"

"Yes." Iruka took one of the seats near the rear of the tube and slid over so Kakashi could sit next to him. He could feel the warm press of Kakashi's thigh against his own and curled his hand, trying to resist the need to touch. "Namiashi Raidou. We met in school – I think we must have been around seven?"

"You've been friends for that long?" Kakashi looked surprised, but interested.

Iruka laughed. "Well, we didn't start out as friends. We called each other names a lot actually. We had a very adversarial relationship for seven year-olds. He referred to me as 'scar nose' and I called him 'scar face'. Then he punched me in the nose, and I punched him in the stomach. After that we were pretty much inseparable, until we met Yamato."

"And Yamato was the friend you met for drinks the night we hooked up?"

Iruka nodded, forcing down a blush. "Yeah, we met Yamato because his family got transferred from another accommodation tower which was scheduled for a re-build by World. That happens occasionally."

"I heard some of the outer towers are derelict these days," Kakashi said.

"Really?" Iruka frowned, thinking of his class size. "Where did you hear that?"

Kakashi shrugged. "I must have heard it on the surface from someone. It's fairly common, from what I've been told. Towers scheduled for demolition and so on."

"It makes sense. They'd have to retrofit some of the older towers to keep them up to date." Iruka looked around, realized nobody was watching, and trailed his fingers lightly along Kakashi's thigh.

"Tease." Kakashi wrapped his fingers around Iruka's, squeezing gently. He leaned in toward Iruka and said, "None of that, now. Unless you want me to strip you naked right here in front of everyone, bend you over and fuck you senseless."

That low, husky tone of Kakashi's told Iruka that Kakashi wasn't nearly as unaffected as he was making himself out to be. A jolt of lust shot through Iruka at the thought of being fucked in public and he felt his breathing quicken. He had no idea that he even found the thought of public sex hot – at least not until he met Kakashi. He couldn't look at Kakashi – he glanced out of the window instead. He knew if he looked at Kakashi, saw his face colored with desire, he was doomed to another long day trying to hide a straining erection. He had no idea why Kakashi affected him like this – perhaps his body was simply making up for lost time.

_'Accommodation Tower 29, floor 90. Please exit in a Neighborly fashion. Please mind the gap.'_

"This is us," Iruka said.

He stood up and followed Kakashi as he made his way to the door, holding onto one of the railings while the train slowed. Iruka stood behind him, letting the train's motion bring his body gently into contact with Kakashi's. Kakashi glanced over his shoulder, a knowing look on his face. "You are so going to pay for that later," Kakashi whispered with amusement.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Iruka stood in the small kitchen with Raidou and watched Genma and Kakashi move boxes. "He's rather handsome," Raidou said with a grin. "Where did you find him?"

"I ran into him on the street – literally. I think I nearly knocked him down." Iruka scratched at his scar. "Fortunately for me he didn't take offence."

"You met him surface-side? Wow, that was brave of you."

Iruka took a sip of his drink. "You should get out sometime, you know. Breathe the clean air. Enjoy nature."

"Nah, not for me. I'm quite happy being inside, not having to deal with weather and shit. Why go outside?" Raidou frowned. "I'm not like you; I'm a true city dweller."

"And I'm not?"

Raidou grinned. "In case you hadn't noticed Iruka, no, you're not. You're always antsy, like you have claustrophobia or something itches at your skin."

Iruka laughed. "You make me sound like a nervous wreck."

"Nope, simply stating how it is. Hey, and if you need to get out, there's nothing wrong with that either. So, after you ran poor Kakashi down, what happened?"

"They had sex, obviously, Raidou!" Genma called from the other room.

"How the fuck did he hear us?" Iruka demanded, blushing furiously.

"Oh, didn't I tell you? Genma's got amazing hearing. He might as well be standing right next to you. Don't bother trying to keep anything secret if he's around."

"Damn boyfriends," Iruka muttered. "Well, since it's impossible to hold a private conversation, we might as well go help unpack."

Two hours later, most of the apartment was unpacked and the boxes put away. Iruka sat on Raidou's recently-cleared couch and watched Genma and Kakashi unpack the kitchen. Genma was lean like Kakashi. He even moved the same way; with a predatory grace. Iruka could spend hours watching Kakashi and never get bored of the play of muscles underneath that pale skin, or the way Kakashi sometimes leaned his head to one side, like he was silently questioning something. Genma was tanned where Kakashi was pale, and Iruka could appreciate the aesthetic nature in their different colorings.

"Are you making eyes at my boyfriend's ass?" Raidou said, flopping down onto the sofa.

"I can hear you," Genma sing-songed, turning around to wink at Iruka.

"No, I was admiring Kakashi's ass, actually," Iruka said. "I think Kakashi's is better."

At the same time Genma yelled, "Hey!" Raidou punched Iruka in the leg.

"Ow! That's very un-Neighborly of you," Iruka grumbled jokingly. "My leg's gone numb."

"Kakashi is going to have to carry you home then, bridal style."

"Fuck you, Raidou."

Genma leaned up to put something on one of the higher shelves. His t-shirt slipped up, exposing a sliver of skin on his lower back. It was in that split-second Iruka saw it: a weirdly shaped symbol, like an upside down, open circle on Genma's lower back, branded into the skin. Iruka froze. Kakashi had that same mark, next to his left hipbone. Iruka liked to lick and kiss Kakashi there; he was sensitive in that spot, said it tickled and sent shivers down his spine.

"You okay Iruka? Did I really hurt you?"

Iruka forced himself to look away; Genma had moved onto another box, and the mark was hidden again. "No, no. I'm fine. Maybe just a little tired."

He made himself smile, to reassure Raidou. For some reason, that brand unsettled Iruka. He supposed lots of people could have one; nobody exposed their skin in public and it may just simply be one of those fad things people got. Somehow Iruka doubted Kakashi was a follower of fads, but he shrugged it off and forgot about it. Perhaps it was merely coincidence, although a strange one.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"It's snowing. Do you want to go outside?"

Kakashi was standing at the windows of the apartment, watching intently as flakes of snow drifted downward.

Iruka came out of the kitchen. "Is it? Oh, wow." What Iruka could see of the sky – that which wasn't blocked by the massive accommodation blocks in every direction – was a dull, sullen gray. Heavy clouds blocked the sun from view, their bottoms almost black. Large flakes drifted past the window, just over Kakashi's shoulders.

Kakashi turned just enough to grace Iruka with a mischievous grin. "I bet its cold."

"I don't have a jacket," Iruka said.

"Okay, we really need to buy you one."

Iruka shrugged. "Until I met you, I never went out much when it was cold like this."

"Have you ever felt snow on your skin?" Kakashi asked.

Iruka gave the matter some thought. "Maybe, as a child? I think my mother took me outside when I was younger. She said I should experience the snow at least once, before I became closed in by my adult life. She was right, unfortunately."

Kakashi turned around fully and held out his hand. "You can wear my coat then. I don't feel the cold, what with being outside so much. I can wear a sweater. Do you want to go outside?"

Iruka nodded. "Yes, can we?"

Outside was freezing, even with Kakashi's long coat on and standing just under the lobby overhang. Iruka could see his breath; he'd forgotten it could be cold enough to be like this. He exhaled, watching it turn into vapor with a childlike expression of glee on his face.

Kakashi took his hand, and together they stepped outside, onto the street. Iruka raised his face to the sky and for the first time in many years, felt the first chill drop of snow on his cheeks. He stood there; hands linked with Kakashi's, and closed his eyes. Every snowflake that fell onto his face and lashes was like a little shock of ice. It mingled with his hair and his breath, caressed his lips before it melted.

Kakashi kissed him. It was sudden and unexpected and Kakashi's hot breath made his lips tingle after the shock of cold.

"Shall we walk?" Kakashi said.

Iruka followed Kakashi's lead, stepping through the snow that had accumulated on the streets, then across the grass of the park, the snow muffling the sounds of their footsteps. They found a bench and after clearing it of snow sat down, sitting close together. Iruka wasn't worried about anyone seeing them; the place was deserted. Everyone was probably inside, even the surface-dwellers. It was like they had the world to themselves; the last survivors of humanity. Suddenly Iruka found he didn't mind the idea, just as long as he had Kakashi.

"Today was called Christmas Eve in the old calendar," Kakashi said, leaning into Iruka's shoulder. His breath ghosted across Iruka's neck, making him shiver. "It was traditional for it to snow on this day."

"You come up with the strangest things sometimes," Iruka replied. "Christmas Eve? What is that?"

"Hmm." Kakashi seemed to ponder things. He wrapped his arm around Iruka's waist and pulled him closer. "Some kind of holiday? People used to exchange presents with loved ones, I think. I can't remember exactly."

"It must have been a very long time ago. I don't think I've ever heard of it."

"World must know," Kakashi said. "You should check the archives. It's amazing what you'll find in there if you look hard enough."

Iruka leaned in to kiss Kakashi. "Perhaps I will, when I have time. Now what was this about a present?"

Kakashi laughed. His cheeks were flushed with cold, and he had snow sticking to his hair, and he was, at that moment, incredibly beautiful in Iruka's eyes. "Well, I'll give you anything you want, Iruka. I'm yours to command for today, yes?"

Iruka felt a thrill of excitement run down his spine. "Anything?"

Kakashi's eyes sparkled with amusement, and a hint of lust. "Anything."

"You're a pervert."

"Well, that depends on what you're suggesting, Iruka-kun. I'm only a pervert if I'm able to do what you wish, don't you agree?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Iruka was late – again. It was typical that every time he intended to meet with Yamato, he lost track of time. It never happened with anyone else, and besides, Yamato was well used to it by now.

Iruka slid into what he thought of as 'their' booth and ordered a beer. He was only partway into his drink when Yamato arrived, looking rushed.

"Hey, Iruka. You're here before me, wonders will never cease."

"Hey." Iruka gestured at the waitress and made the universal sign for another beer. "What kept you?"

"Something new came up at the Division. Nothing major, although we're all scratching our heads over this case."

Iruka raised an eyebrow. "And don't tell me, you can't talk about it?"

"Nope." Yamato grinned.

"I figured as much," Iruka said with a laugh.

The waitress bought Yamato's usual over and left them alone. He sipped his beer and leveled Iruka with a curious gaze. "So... rumor has it you're seeing someone. A certain sexy, male someone."

"Rumor being Raidou?"

Yamato winked. "Hey, I got my sources."

"And your sources say my boyfriend is 'sexy'?"

"Maybe," Yamato hedged.

"And rumor should keep his eyes locked on his own boyfriend's ass."

"Ouch. Well, tell me more. What's he like?"

"He's sexy." Iruka laughed at Yamato's expression of disbelief. He held up both hands in a gesture of surrender. "Okay, seriously? He's wonderful."

"I'm going to vomit. Does this paragon of virtue have a name?"

"Hatake Kakashi. He's from the surface – actually, I met him that night we hooked up for drinks a couple of months ago. I took your advice."

"My advice?" Yamato looked confused.

"You told me I needed to get laid," Iruka deadpanned.

"Wow, you move fast." Yamato placed his beer on the beer mat and folded his arms, leaning forward. "Was it good?"

"Yamato!" Iruka could feel a blush burning his cheeks.

"Okay, I'm not going to ask about your sex life. But are you happy?"

"Yes." Iruka nodded. "Happier than I've been in years, anyway. Kakashi's moved in with me."

Yamato's eyes almost bugged out of his head in amazement. "So it's serious then?"

"I suppose it is."

"Congratulations, I think."

Iruka laughed. "Don't be a grouch. Now tell me what's going on with you. The stuff you can talk about, anyway."

Time passed quickly as they exchanged news, catching up on gossip, talking about old friends. The lights dimmed once, to signal closing time. "Shit, I didn't realize it was so late," Iruka said.

"Me either." Yamato reached for his wallet and pulled out some paper money. On the surface, and below it, credit wasn't accepted. It was cash or nothing.

Iruka took a final sip of his beer and set the bottle down. "Yamato?"

Yamato paused in counting out money and glanced up at Iruka. "Hm?"

"You have access to World right? I mean, working for enforcement, you can get higher-tiered information than the rest of us?"

"Why? What do you need to know, Iruka?"

Talking with Yamato about Kakashi and Raidou, Iruka had suddenly remembered that odd symbol Genma had had on his back – the one that was the same as Kakashi's. He bit his lip, wondering if he was being silly.

"It's just something I saw once," Iruka explained. "When I met Raidou's new boyfriend, I noticed a brand he had on his back. It's just Kakashi has the same one, although in a different place. I wondered if you might know of it."

Yamato looked serious. He placed the money on the table and leveled Iruka with a stare. "And why would you be asking me about it, Iruka? Don't you trust Kakashi?"

"Of course I do!" Iruka blurted out.

"Then why don't you ask him about it?"

"I have. He says he's always had it." Iruka refused to meet Yamato's eyes, instead choosing to stare at the table top.

"Perhaps it's a surface-dweller thing. Is Genma from the surface?"

"Yes, I think so."

"There you go then. It's probably just something they all have." Yamato paused for a few moments until Iruka looked up. "Okay, show me the mark and I'll look if I have time. Will it make you feel better if I do?"

Iruka nodded once, quickly. "I don't have a data pad on me to show you the symbol."

"Draw in on the table."

"Okay." Iruka swirled his finger in the moisture from his beer bottle, and began to draw on the battered tabletop. "Like this: Ω. It's a circle, open at the bottom end."

Yamato was silent for a moment. "It doesn't look familiar. I don't think we've ever picked up a surface-dweller bearing one of these marks." Yamato fixed Iruka with a hard stare. "Look, Iruka. Go home. Make love to Kakashi, or fuck him hard, or whatever it is that pulls your chain. It's probably just something random. If Kakashi says he doesn't know what it is, then you have to choose whether you want to believe him, and forget about it, or whether it's something that's going to be a problem and pull you apart. Only you can decide that. Personally, I think it's a pretty weird thing to get wound up about. There are much bigger problems out there than a brand on someone's skin."

"I suppose you're right."

Yamato stood up. "Let's get the hell out of here. It's still fucking winter outside and I don't want to freeze my ass off walking to the nearest tower."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As Iruka walked to the tower to pick up the tube, he decided Yamato was right. It was a pretty stupid thing to get all worked up about. Still, he felt guilty – he felt like he had betrayed Kakashi, by going so far as to ask Yamato about it. No – to request that Yamato use his clearance to check into Kakashi and Genma. That's what he'd done, hadn't he? Acted like a concerned citizen, questioning the right of others to do as they wished. It was un-Neighborly. Actually, it was more than that; it was like slapping Kakashi in the face without giving him the opportunity to defend himself.

Was Kakashi at home now, waiting for him and wondering why he was late? Would Kakashi walk down to the surface, walk through their park, looking for him? Iruka laughed humorlessly to himself. Wow, he was really in a maudlin mood.

It took Iruka a few minutes to realize that while he was brooding, he'd overshot his station by a whole accommodation tower. Cursing under his breath, Iruka exited the train and walked over to the next crossover point, catching a train going north. Now he was stuck traversing three sides of a square just to get back to where he needed to be.

Darkness had fully fallen by the time Iruka was on the last leg of his journey. He was passing sections of the city he never had a need to visit. The train was completely empty, which was unusual even for this time of night. The tube shuddered slightly as it picked up the tracks at the next tower, and it took Iruka a moment to realize he was surrounded by darkness. There should be hundreds of lights on in these apartments, people visible in the windows. The entire tower block was in blackout, like it was abandoned. Iruka leaned forward in his seat and stared hard out of the window, but he couldn't see a single light on. Why was the tower empty? Was it scheduled for demolition or a rebuild?

Hadn't Raidou said the reason why he was transferred to his new apartment was because the old one was going through a retrofit? But this building – this tower was in the complete opposite direction to Raidou's old apartment. How many towers were standing empty? Where were the citizens that should have filled this section?

Iruka felt suddenly very alone.

He actually jumped when the tube burst through into the tower station and was almost blinded by the sudden light as the train slowed. Crowds of people moved about, talking in low voices, being Neighborly toward each other. Iruka breathed a sigh of relief. He felt like he'd been in some sort of surreal nightmare and couldn't wake up.

_'Accommodation Tower 56, floor 270. Please exit in a Neighborly fashion. Please mind the gap.'_

Iruka suddenly laughed when he heard World's announcement. He was home. All he had to do was exit the train, walk down three floors, and Kakashi would be waiting for him.

Iruka suddenly couldn't wait to see Kakashi. That sense of betrayal still stuck with him, and he needed the reassurance that Kakashi still cared for him, still wanted him. Iruka took the first elevator he could find, impatiently tapping his toe as the carriage dropped smoothly down to the 267th floor. He walked quickly along the south corridor and keyed open the front door.

For a moment, his heart stopped. The apartment was in darkness, everything tidied away and neat.

"Iruka?" Kakashi's voice came from the bedroom.

"I'm home," Iruka said in a shaky voice. He could hear his words stutter in his throat, despite the relief of knowing that Kakashi was inside, probably in bed.

Kakashi sat up when Iruka entered the bedroom. His hair was mussed, like he'd been sleeping. "Everything okay? You look shaken."

"I'm fine," Iruka replied. He pulled off Kakashi's coat, and his dress shirt. "I wasn't sure if you were here," he explained.

Kakashi watched Iruka intently as he undressed. "This is where I'll always be, Iruka."

Iruka paused, looking up, amazed at Kakashi's serious tone. "You mean that?" he blurted out.

Kakashi laughed softly, ran his fingers through his hair. "Of course I mean it. Do you think I'm doing this just for fun?"

"Well, no…" Iruka bit his lip. He felt like a child suddenly, unsure and out of his depth. Being completely naked didn't help, either.

"Come to bed." Kakashi held out his hand, like he always did, and Iruka took it, feeling that familiar, cool touch on his skin. He slid under the covers and turned over, feeling Kakashi spoon up behind him, comforted by the long, lean lines of Kakashi's body enveloping him, protecting him.

Now, Iruka was _home_.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Iruka spent the next month lost in work; with mid-season exams coming up, he was working late more often than not. He lived for rest days, when he and Kakashi would either take walks on the surface (weather and cold be damned) or more often, spend all day in bed. Iruka hadn't realized Kakashi was a hedonist at heart – he should have expected it, after that first night they spent on the surface. Kakashi made love to Iruka with every ounce of his being, his ability, his body. He never held anything back. He seemed as fully committed to Iruka as Iruka was becoming to Kakashi. It was a heady feeling, being in love.

Iruka could now admit that yes, all joking aside, he was completely in love with Kakashi.

It should have been terrifying. He should have been afraid, worried, something. Some old adage about the follies of youth, or the one about love kicking you in the teeth when you least expect it. No, Iruka was fully committed, and he didn't care.

So, here he was, working late on the Fifthday, looking forward to the next two rest days with Kakashi. He thought back to that night in the snow, when Kakashi had offered Iruka anything he wanted. He still couldn't think of that night without blushing. Stupid really. If he examined the memory from an outsider's point of view, it would be embarrassing and absurd. Him, naked, spread out on their bed, while Kakashi kissed his way over every part of Iruka's body, finally spreading him wide, spearing Iruka with his tongue, fucking him until Iruka was a writhing mess, begging for more. And he'd asked for it – that was his _anything_. His one secret thing he'd always wanted to try, something he'd never told anyone. He trusted Kakashi enough for that, to give him his anything.

The data pad clattered to the desk top and Iruka jolted out of his memories. _Stupid_, he thought. _They're pleasant memories, but you're wasting time while you sit here, fantasizing. You could be on the tube, going home. Home to Kakashi._

The computer chimed politely; informing Iruka he had a message. He keyed it up; curious as to who could possibly know he would be here this late at night.

It was short and terse, very much to the point:

_Iruka: _

_Meet me at the Enforcement Division when you can. It's important._

_Yamato._

The blood drained from Iruka's face. Had something happened to Kakashi? What –

The computer chimed again, and Iruka reached out with shaking hands.

_Sorry. Didn't mean to freak you out. Nobody's hurt. _

_-Y._

_Fuck_. Iruka was going to kill Yamato for almost giving him a fucking heart attack. _Bastard_. On the other hand, what the hell was so important to contact him at this time of night? Iruka sent Kakashi a quick message, warning him he would be later than he thought, shut off his computer and his data pad, tidied his desk, and left, catching an east-bound tube across to Enforcement Headquarters.

Iruka walked down to reception, which was two floors below the tube crossover point, and waited patiently for Yamato to be paged.

"Iruka?"

Iruka whirled around. "Yamato? What the hell is going on?"

Yamato ran a hand through his hair and looked sheepish. "Sorry, I didn't think you'd pick my message up until Firstday. It wasn't my intention to have you run out here immediately."

Iruka frowned. "Well, I'm here now. This had better be good."

Yamato looked serious, which started to freak Iruka out. Sure, he knew Yamato could be serious, it was part of his job, but Iruka only really got to see the off-work version of Yamato, the person he was friends with. Iruka had never needed to have contact with Yamato's duty side.

"You'd better come with me," Yamato said. He ushered Iruka through an opaque, frosted door and into a long corridor. He guided Iruka with one hand on his lower back.

"Yamato," Iruka growled. "You are starting to seriously freak me out. Please explain what the hell is going on."

"How are you with bodies?"

_What the fuck?_ Iruka stopped, causing Yamato to walk into him. "You said nobody was hurt, Yamato. Were you lying to me, because if you were and this is some kind of sick joke I am going to beat the fucking crap out of you later."

"Easy." Yamato held up his hands. "This body has nothing to do with you – if it technically counts as a body. I'm not so sure."

Iruka knew he looked murderous. He could feel the rage (and unease) radiating from his very pores.

Yamato wisely didn't say anything further, other than, "Through here."

Another opaque door opened into another corridor, and then Yamato led him to a room off to one side. He keyed the lights up to full brightness and Iruka stopped in the doorway, hesitating. "_That_ is a dead body," Iruka said.

The body lay under a sheet, which was pulled up over its face. Yamato walked over to it slowly and beckoned Iruka forward. "This is important, Iruka. I think you need to see this."

Iruka remained rooted to the spot, unable to fathom why he might need to see this body. "Yamato…"

"Iruka, please. Humor me."

That got Iruka's attention. Slowly he walked forward, until he was close enough to see what it was that Yamato clearly needed to show him. With a terse nod, Iruka waited as Yamato pulled down the sheet.

It was a young woman, with blonde hair. She had an unremarkable face, really, but someone would have loved her, would be waiting for her to come home. Yamato pulled the sheet down further, exposing delicate collar bones. Iruka looked away, not wanting to be witness to her nudity. There was no dignity in death.

"Iruka."

Reluctantly, Iruka looked back to the body. Branded just below her collar bones, near her sternum, was that strange symbol Iruka had drawn for Yamato.

"What –" Iruka began. "Who is this?"

"We have no idea. This was flagged this to my attention because I'd been poking around in upper-tier files on your behalf. World must have realized what I was searching for, and alerted me."

"World alerted you?" Iruka took a deep breath. _That's odd. Shouldn't World have been concerned that Yamato was poking around in sensitive files, rather than flagging them to his attention?_

"There's more," Yamato warned. "This is going to be a shock."

Iruka felt his hands curl into fists. "Okay."

Yamato pulled the sheet down further, until it rested at the woman's waist. Iruka ignored the obvious signs of her nudity, focusing on the gaping hole in her chest. Her skin was melted and burnt, which was shocking enough, but what was more shocking was that –

"I think I need to sit down," Iruka said in a panicky voice. "I don't think I can –"

Yamato caught him before his knees gave out, ushering him into a chair placed near the wall. Iruka sank into it, his legs shaking. Iruka took deep breaths, trying to regulate his pounding heart rate. He felt light headed and just a little queasy.

After a few moments, he got up the nerve to ask, "What the hell is _that_?"

"We think she was hit by lightning. She was probably caught out in a surface storm, in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"No," Iruka bit out, "_what_ is that? Some kind of android, cyborg thing – that's definitely not a person! Where are her internal organs? What the hell is –?"

"Calm down," Yamato cautioned, sinking into a crouch in front of Iruka.

"I can't calm down!" Iruka shouted. Some part of him realized he was probably being unreasonable. "Why are you showing me this? Are you implying that Kakashi, or Genma, or some other person with that brand is some kind of mechanical monstrosity? Holy _shit_, Yamato, I just… I don't – _Fuck_."

"That's not what I'm implying at all, Iruka," Yamato said calmly. "I'm simply showing you a body that has the same mark. You asked me to look into it, did you not?"

"And you told me to forget about it," Iruka reminded him.

"I usually never follow my own advice," Yamato said with a sigh. "Look, I'm simply asking you to be cautious, Iruka. This woman was a surface-dweller, the same as Kakashi and Genma were. I find it hard to believe that so many things can be coincidence. I want you to be aware of the similarities."

"You're just jealous," Iruka spat.

"And that's bullshit, Iruka, and you know it."

Iruka stared at Yamato, trying to put his thoughts straight. He simply couldn't do it, couldn't make his brain function with any kind of clarity. He dropped his head into his hands, blinking away sudden tears. _Christ_, Iruka thought, _what the hell is wrong with me?_

"Let's get a cup of coffee." Yamato stood up. "Then I'll tell you what else I've found out."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Iruka was somewhat calmer by the time Yamato had chased down two cups of coffee and brought Iruka into his office. He took a seat next to Iruka, in front of his desk rather than behind it. The implication was clear; we are friends, this is not work-related.

Still, Iruka's hands refused to stop shaking. He couldn't get that picture out of his head, of the woman's stomach, blasted open. Iruka could still see in his mind's eye the delicate mechanics inside her body, could see the shiny metal of her rib cage where there should be bone. He kept seeing Kakashi, lying there on the table, the life gone from his eyes. Just a dead body. Just a dead… _thing_.

"Iruka, that's not Kakashi lying there."

Sometimes Iruka hated it when Yamato anticipated his thoughts. It was irritating. "I know that," he said, unable to keep the edge out of his voice.

"Do you?"

"Just tell me what else you found out, Yamato. I don't think I can take much more," Iruka said, finally meeting Yamato's gaze.

Yamato took a deep breath. "Once World had alerted me about the woman in the other room, I found I had access to other files, which of course I looked through after I messaged you. During the last fifteen years or so, and across all the five major cities, only eleven bodies with this brand have been recorded. All accidents," Yamato hastened to assure Iruka before he could speak, "all random occurrences. Other than that brand, they have nothing else in common other than that they are surface-dwellers. World has them tagged as _'Infames' _for some reason."

"In-what?"

"Infames. I had to look it up. It's an old Terra word that means 'person of no reputation'. In other words, a surface-dweller. One who is not a citizen, a person who prefers to live outside society."

"I know what a surface-dweller is," Iruka snapped. "I'm fucking one of them, remember?"

Yamato looked strained, and Iruka realized he was being a bastard. "Sorry," he added. "Go on."

"There's not much else to tell. No other cases of Infamis – which is the singular of the word – have been recorded. They only start to appear just over twenty years ago, roughly around when the birthrate started to drop."

"What?" Iruka sat upright. "The birthrate is dropping?"

"Apparently. The information is right there, in the public files, if you know what you are looking for. Anyone can read them, although most people don't bother with such trivial things."

"My class size," Iruka said. "I have thirty-six students this term. I should have over two-hundred. I simply thought that World had been moving people around from tower to tower. There are a lot of empty towers, Yamato, have you noticed?"

"No, I hadn't." He looked thoughtful. "Still, I think we are getting off track. You should go home and talk to Kakashi. He's probably worried about you."

"Do you think Kakashi is an Infamis?" Iruka asked. He looked down at his hands, clenched tightly in his lap. He made a conscious effort to relax them.

"In so much as he is a surface-dweller, or was, then yes, he is. But," Yamato held up his hands, "a cyborg, or some kind of machine? No, not from what you've told me. He's too in love with you to be anything other than human."

Iruka smiled. It was a weak smile, but a smile nonetheless. "Yes," he said, "A machine doesn't have the capacity for love, does it? Love makes us human."

Yamato stood up and clapped Iruka on the shoulder, hard. "Exactly. Now go the fuck home and make out with your boyfriend or something constructive, rather than drinking my coffee."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was past midnight when Iruka keyed the door open and walked into the apartment. Kakashi was waiting for him, sitting on the couch. The room was bathed in flickering candlelight, and Kakashi was half dressed, wearing black sleep pants that clung enticingly to every curve of his muscled body. Iruka paused in the doorway and just looked, drinking in the sight of Kakashi. There was no way this man could be anything but human: a living, breathing entity with a soul. Anything else was just absurd.

"Welcome back," Kakashi said, standing up.

Iruka smiled wearily. "I'm home."

Kakashi's lips were gentle against Iruka's. He melted against Kakashi's body, sinking into his familiar warmth. Kakashi pulled back. "Are you okay?"

"No," Iruka surprised himself by saying. "I'm so not okay."

Kakashi nodded, as if it was perfectly normal for Iruka to come home a nervous wreck, and drew him down to the sofa. He pulled Iruka close until Iruka was straddling his lap and simply held him close. Iruka rested his head against Kakashi's chest and listened to his heart beat. Human, he was definitely human.

"Do you want to tell me what's wrong?" Kakashi's voice was low, calm. It was just what Iruka needed.

He sat up slightly, so that he could see Kakashi properly. "Yamato called me today and asked me to drop by Division Headquarters."

"Yes I got that much from your message." Kakashi began to run the palm of his hand up and down Iruka's spine in a soothing motion.

"He showed me the body of a woman they'd picked up from the surface."

Kakashi's whole demeanor stiffened. "Was that really necessary? What the hell for?"

Iruka smiled despite himself at Kakashi's offended tone. "He – he thought I should see it." Iruka took a mental deep breath. "The body had the same brand that you and Genma have."

Kakashi seemed to freeze, but all he said was, "Oh."

"Yamato thought I should know. He said that she was a surface-dweller, like you and Genma, and that he wanted me to be aware of it."

"What else did he say?"

"Kakashi? Is something wrong?" A sudden frisson of unease rolled through Iruka's stomach.

"Iruka, what else did he say?"

Iruka slid off Kakashi's lap and walked to the window. This was not how he'd thought the conversation would go. He'd expected Kakashi to be concerned, which he was, but not questioning. He'd expected Kakashi to blow the whole thing off like an amusing story.

"He said," Iruka started to pace, "actually, no. He showed me what she was. Some kind of –" even now the words wouldn't quite come past his throat. "Some kind of cyborg, a mechanical _thing_. I saw it. She had metal instead of bones; her chest was open, filled with these…" Iruka didn't even have the words to describe it.

Kakashi stood up and Iruka took a step back, making Kakashi frown. He reached for Iruka, holding out his hand, and for some reason Iruka couldn't make himself close the inches of distance between them, to touch Kakashi. _If I can just touch Kakashi, everything will be all right,_ he told himself.

"Yamato said World called them Infames. People of no reputation." Iruka's word sounded harsh, accusing, even to his own ears.

"World told Yamato this?"

Iruka stared at Kakashi, waiting for the expected outburst. Kakashi was supposed to immediately offer a denial, call Yamato crazy, and then they could move on.

"Why does it matter what World does, Kakashi?" Iruka snapped. "What does World have to do with this? Why is that important?" Iruka fisted his hands at his side. "Kakashi?"

"What else did World tell Yamato?"

"He said World had disclosed the files to the public domain. That Infames have been popping up in the last couple of decades, round about the same time that the birthrate started to drop. You know something of this, don't you?" Iruka heard the pleading in his words, knew he was looking for reassurance. "Kakashi, are you Infamis?" Iruka hadn't realized he was going to ask the question until he'd spoken. He froze, terrified of the answer, terrified of Kakashi's reaction to his question.

Kakashi simply stood there; then he closed his eyes. When he opened them seconds later, his gaze seemed to pierce through to Iruka's soul. Iruka had never seen Kakashi look so beautiful or so frighteningly serious.

"Oh, fuck no." Iruka stepped backward. "That's not possible. There is no way you can be a machine like that _thing_ at Division headquarters. You have a heartbeat. You _love_ me… you feel emotion. You – "

"I am what we call a bio-mechanical construct, created by the world."

Iruka's mouth hung open. "This is a joke, right? Any second now you are going to burst out laughing and I'm going to threaten to kick your ass." When Kakashi's expression didn't change, Iruka waited a few more seconds, waiting for Kakashi's façade to crack. The seconds ticked by, seeming to stretch into tense minutes. "Kakashi, tell me you're joking," Iruka pleaded.

Kakashi sighed: a very human gesture. He stepped toward Iruka again and then paused, a pained expression on his face. "I told you the truth; I am a bio-mechanical construct created by the world. I am just like that _thing_ you saw earlier in the morgue."

Iruka didn't miss the biting inflection of Kakashi's voice when he spat the word _thing_ back at Iruka. It was like a slap in the face – one Iruka probably deserved. Iruka tried to grasp Kakashi's words, but it was like the sentence was full of gibberish, in a completely foreign language.

"_World_ created you? What for?" Iruka grabbed hold of the only word he could really comprehend, one that was safe: World.

"No, I said 'the world' not _World_. I am talking of Earth: Terra, Gaia; whatever term you want to use. World is simply a tool Gaia created to communicate with humankind."

"Gaia? The so-called world-god of legend? Are you sure you don't want to bring up Yggdrasil, or maybe something equally ridiculous like Bifrost?" Iruka hadn't heard the name _Gaia_ since he'd been forced to take an extra credit in Old World Mythology during Secondary school. "You're asking me to believe in something incredible – _ethereal_ – that makes no logical sense whatsoever?"

Kakashi smiled ruefully, as if he was slightly embarrassed. "Every living thing has a soul, from the smallest insect to the largest of mammals. It stands to reason Terra itself would have a soul, yes? Gaia is a very real living entity, but it's almost impossible for a human to comprehend that something so large could have a soul. It's like a virus trying to understand that the body it inhabits has a psyche and its own thoughts and agenda.

Gaia has been trying to get mankind's attention for millennium, but humankind refuses to listen because it doesn't see the larger picture – it can't see past its own need for instant gratification. The human race doesn't work in centuries, or ages, but rather in hours and minutes."

Iruka started laughing. Once he started, he couldn't stop. At some point he realized he was probably having a nervous breakdown, but it was impossible to convince his body to listen to any reason. Slowly, he sank to the floor, only paying half a mind to Kakashi who knelt down in front of him, a concerned frown on his face. Eventually, Iruka stopped laughing. The room echoed with new silence, only Iruka's labored breathing filling the space. He wiped the tears from his eyes and stared at Kakashi, blinking furiously to clear his vision.

"You're serious, aren't you?" he whispered.

Kakashi nodded. "It is called The Omega Mandate."

"The what?" Iruka stared at Kakashi.

"The Omega Mandate. It is a directive passed down from Gaia to the Infames, which she created in mankind's image. Omega is the symbol I carry – that we all carry. It is the last letter in the Ancient Greek alphabet, and it stands for 'the last' or more commonly, 'the end'."

Iruka shook his head. "I don't understand. None of this is making sense."

Kakashi looked mournful, sad, even.

"What are you trying to tell me?" Iruka demanded, his voice rising. "Why don't you just spit it out in easy to understand terms? _What_ is this Omega Mandate?"

"It is the euthanization of the entire human race."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Gaia wants to _euthanize_ the world's population? What the hell does that mean?" Iruka struggled to his feet and backed away from Kakashi. "You're telling me that the world has decided to get rid of humankind? What is it going to do – rain old-world biblical fire down on our bloody, screaming heads? This is absurd, Kakashi!" Iruka took another breath; his words tumbling out, one on top of each other. "Do you realize what you are saying? Do you know how insane you sound?"

"Iruka, stop. Calm down."

For a moment, Kakashi sounded just enough like Yamato to make Iruka pause. "Gaia has been trying to contact humanity for millennium. She tried various means, all with no response. Humankind has grown far beyond the sustainable limits of the planet, and still it continues to grow, to breed, and to ignore the environment. When Gaia couldn't get humanity to respond, she decided that instead she would provide humanity with everything it wanted. It was an experiment of sorts.

"The human race cried out for warmth, food, shelter; an end to war, to disease. Gaia provided all these things via World, hoping that humanity would pause for a moment, to simply stop and listen to the environment it inhabited. Instead, humanity spread faster than a virus, eating up its surroundings, chewing up the surface in order to grow more food, to supply its multiplying population."

"You sound like a fucking eco-terrorist from the surface days," Iruka bit out.

Kakashi ignored Iruka's comment. "About twenty years ago, Gaia realized humanity wasn't going to listen. The Omega Mandate was conceived, and we – the Infames – were created. A few of us to start with, infiltrating the population unnoticed, then more as time passed. Our mandate was to cull humanity – but with kindness."

"So basically, you are an assassin. Tell me, how the hell do you murder a whole planet with kindness, Kakashi?"

Kakashi walked to the window and looked out, watching the snow that had started to fall in a thick curtain. Large flakes seemed to glow in the light from the window, disappearing out of sight as they fell.

"Humans have become insular. The more shut-in they become, the more they forget how to interact with each other. Infames are simply companions. We are a blank slate for a person's needs and wants. If humans have become so insular that they don't even talk to each other, interact with each other, then we – your companions – are there instead to accommodate that need. You bring us home and integrate us into your life; we become important to you. You care for us, copulate with us – because all humans have a basic animal instinct – but we are sterile. Instead of creating new life with others of your race, humans have ensured their own destruction."

Iruka gaped at Kakashi, his mouth hanging open. He shut it with an abrupt click. "You are saying Gaia created you simply to whore yourselves out until the human race was dead?"

"Not dead," Kakashi shook his head, "only until the human race is a manageable size once more. The birthrate has already dropped by 87% in twenty years and will drop further. Once this generation has passed, humanity will once again fit within Gaia's worldview – but this time as a manageable population, one that will not destroy its own environment."

"I need to leave," Iruka said in a shaky voice. "I need fresh air and to think. I can't do this." He walked toward the door and stopped to slip on his shoes.

"Gaia miscalculated on one thing." Kakashi's hoarse voice was almost a whisper. His tone spoke of deep sorrow and longing, mixed with regret. "Gaia created the Infames to imprint on the human that chose them. You imprinted yourself onto me, and I onto you. I love you, Iruka. It was simply who I was made to be. You chose me that night, and I want nothing else other than to be with you. Gaia's plans can go to hell; all I care about is you."

"I think you're misreading your programming, Kakashi," Iruka snapped, and slammed the door behind him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Iruka was not surprised to find his footsteps leading him back to the park on the surface. He stumbled outside and was immediately hit with a wall of frigid air that made him gasp in shock. The snow was falling heavily around him, covering the ground with large fluffy flakes that resembled cotton wool. Iruka's faltering steps were muffled, the sound deadened, and only added to Iruka's sense that this whole thing was some kind of surreal dream he had yet to wake from. He was cold – freezing – but yet he couldn't bear the thought of returning to his apartment, of having to confront Kakashi.

He looked up, blinking as the snowflakes fell on his face. He needed to find shelter before he froze.

After minutes of walking, heading vaguely in the direction of the under-city mall, Iruka found himself passing the wall and the small coppice of trees where he'd first met Kakashi. He thought of that cabin, nestled within the trees, and began to walk in that direction. He was glad to find it was unoccupied, and spent a moment trying to work the latch. His fingers felt frozen and clumsy, but eventually he got the door open, only to slam it behind him when he got inside.

Iruka busied himself with the lamp, which was stowed on a shelf, and then unrolled the blanket and futon. He huddled into the blanket, rubbing his hands furiously together, trying to get the feeling back into his frozen fingers.

Was this what it was like to try to survive on the surface? To freeze in winter, burn with heat in summer? To be exposed to the elements, to nature's mercy? How was this living? Iruka knew if he was forced to live on the surface, he wouldn't survive for very long. Humanity had become a pampered, spoilt thing with no self-preservation and a dramatic sense of over-entitlement.

Perhaps Kakashi was right.

_No_, Iruka thought. _Kakashi is not right. Humanity might be self-absorbed, but we do not deserve to be eradicated like a disease. _But what was it Kakashi had said? Gaia didn't intend to exterminate the human race completely, only make it manageable. Iruka's generation would die out, and only those that still kept their humanity, those that bonded with other humans, would create children. Those people would be the best of the human race; the ones that still understood that communication was as much a part of living as survival was.

_And the rest of us? _Iruka mused. He pulled his legs up under the blanket, until he could rest his chin on them._ Those of us that didn't have time to find a partner, those of us who chose work over living, or chose to own possessions rather than seek each other out for companionship – we will go quietly into the night, die in kindness and with love, with a different sort of companion. One created just for us._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Weak light filtered in through the cabin's only window, making Iruka blink. _I must have fallen asleep_, he guessed.

He was wrapped in the single blanket, lying on his side with his knees tucked up. It took a few seconds for Iruka's memories to filter back from last night, to bulldoze through his waking confusion. It was like being punched hard in the gut; Iruka gasped, making a sound like a wounded animal might. Fast on the heels of that remembrance came a deep ache in his chest, followed by a tightening in this throat that threatened tears.

_Kakashi._

Iruka simply still couldn't believe that Kakashi was serious about all this. Was it some kind of sick joke? It was one hell of a fucking story at the very least.

He sat up slowly, rubbing at his itchy eyes. They felt hot and puffy; a sure indication that he'd cried at some point while he was asleep. He should have been crying for the human race, if what Kakashi had said was true; instead he'd been crying for himself, and for what he'd had with Kakashi.

Iruka supposed he'd always known the human race was screwed. That deep down, they'd gone wrong somewhere. One single glance out of any window confirmed that: Konohagakure – _the village hidden in the leaves_. Where were the leaves, and the trees? Confined to the occasional small space, within a controlled environment. Man-made towers in every direction, as far as the eye could see. And beyond those towers? Only a stark, flat landscape, bent to mankind's will, forced to provide acre after acre of food to feed the billions of people that lived in the cities. Beyond this city, there were others, laid out to the same plan, destroying their own environments, bending Gaia to their own will.

Some crazy part of Iruka knew they deserved it. What they didn't deserve was Gaia's kindness.

… And that bought Iruka full circle back to Kakashi. His head hurt; a dull, throbbing ache across his temples. _Stress headache_, he thought. Iruka began to laugh. Yes, he was stressed, all right. It was the understatement of the century. And yet, out there, in the towers, people were still going about their day, enjoying the day of rest, spending time with friends, with lovers… with… with the Infames.

Exactly how many of them were there? What was it Kakashi had said?_ "The birthrate has already dropped by 87% in twenty years." _

_There must be millions of them out there, living with us, sleeping with us, making love to us, _Iruka thought. _All those people, fucking a machine night after night, and not realizing what it was. No, not a machine: a bio-mechanical construct, whatever the hell that means_.

How could people possibly not realize they were cohabiting with something that wasn't human? _Have our senses become so dulled over the centuries that we can't distinguish friend from foe? What happened to our survival instincts?_

Iruka knew the answer of course. Mankind didn't need a survival instinct, not when it had annihilated anything that could be considered even the most remote of threats.

And yet, the signs had been there all along. The more Iruka thought about it, the more he realized he should have recognized those signs for what they were. Small pieces of conversations fell into place, little things he'd observed and yet ignored.

_"…. I heard some of the outer towers are derelict these days…"_

_"… I don't feel the cold as much as you do…"_

_"… I just prefer being on the surface… "_

_"… Genma's got amazing hearing. He might as well be standing right next to you… " _

_"… I'll give you anything you want, Iruka. I'm yours to command, always…"_

_"… This is where I'll always be, Iruka..."_

_"…Perhaps I was waiting for you..."_

"Argh!" Iruka shouted. He lashed out without thought, slamming his fist into the wall next to him. The pain was immediate: sharp and jagged, followed straightaway by a dull throb that hurt almost as much. Iruka did it again, some perverse part of him pleased at the sound his fist made as it connected with the unyielding surface.

It cleared his head though and made him feel slightly better.

Plus, it proved he was human; he could feel pain.

That brought him to another uncomfortable thought: _Did_ Kakashi feel pain? That Infamis – the woman on the slab that Yamato had showed him – did she feel her death? Did she cry out in shock and terror – in _pain, _when she died? Did she realize she was dying, or did it happen so fast that there was simply nothing?

If the Infames were bio-mechanical, surely they had the same kind of thoughts and feelings that humans did? Yamato said – he'd said her organs were burnt away by the lightning. Therefore, she must have had a heart, lungs, a stomach.

Kakashi drank coffee. He ate food. His heart beat in his chest, slow and steady. When they made love, it beat hard and fast against his ribcage and his breath came in short, rapid gasps. Christ, Kakashi ejaculated. How the hell was that possible? Iruka felt the slow burn of embarrassment tingeing his cheeks, heating the skin. Kakashi did the same when Iruka said something perverted.

Kakashi may be a machine, but he was also very human.

_I need to talk to him,_ Iruka decided. _I need to hear what he has to say. _Not about Gaia, or about the end game. He needed to hear what Kakashi thought of him, how he felt about _him_.

Iruka pushed himself to his feet, holding his bruised hand close to his body. _Like a wounded animal_, Iruka thought humorlessly. He thought about folding the blanket and the futon neatly, but simply couldn't find the necessary energy. He threw open the door and stepped outside, bracing himself against the cold air. He stumbled back through the snow, one thought in his mind, and one only:

_I need to speak to Kakashi. If I speak to Kakashi, everything will be all right._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In the end, Iruka couldn't face Kakashi – not yet. He made his way to the nearest public comm link and dialed Raidou.

After a second, the link activated and Raidou's face appeared on the screen. "Raidou?"

Raidou peered into the screen. "Iruka? Where the hell have you been? Kakashi was just here looking for you."

Iruka's stomach gave a small, nervous flip, but he ignored it. "Kakashi was at your place?" Iruka hadn't expected for Kakashi to be actively looking for him. He glanced over his shoulder, scanning the empty lobby of the tower. As usual, the public area was empty; most people didn't come down to the surface, therefore they had no need to be at ground level.

Raidou frowned at Iruka. "Yeah, he showed up early this morning. Did you guys have a fight or something?"

"Why?" Iruka bit out. "What did he tell you?"

Raidou held up his hands. "Whoa, nothing, nothing. It's just he seemed really worried when he didn't find you here." He paused. "Wanna tell me what the hell is going on?"

Iruka ignored the question. "Where is Kakashi now?"

"I dunno. I guess he's heading back to your place. Are you going to tell me what this is about?"

Iruka paused, thinking. Would Raidou be a good choice to talk to since Genma was obviously Infames? Perhaps he should be talking with Yamato instead. "It's nothing," Iruka back peddled. "I should go."

"Wait a second. Iruka, I'll come meet you. Tell me where you are?"

Raidou could obviously pick up on the fact Iruka was having some kind of crisis of conscience, but that came with the territory since they'd know each other for so long. "Okay," Iruka sighed. He ran his hand through his hair, feeling his fingers snag on a couple of tangles. "I'm in the lobby of Admin Tower G. Please don't bring Genma."

Raidou narrowed his eyes, as if he was trying to figure things out, or at the very least figure out what had sent Iruka off the deep end. "Sure thing, no Genma. Got it. Give me half an hour to make it over your way. And you are going to owe me dinner at some point for forcing me down to the surface, got it?"

Iruka nodded. "Yes, sure."

Raidou shook his head and grinned. "Okay, I'll see you in a few."

Iruka was sitting on a bench by the time Raidou showed up. It was closer to an hour than the half an hour he'd promised. "Sorry, had to dig out an old coat. Didn't fancy freezing my balls off out here." Raidou looked cold; despite the fact he was wearing layers and had only been outside for a few minutes.

"Sorry," Iruka apologized. "I didn't know where else to go."

"And your apartment is off limits for some reason?" Raidou queried as he sat down. "Look, Iruka, I can't help unless you tell me what's going on. Why won't you go home and wait for Kakashi?"

"I can't."

"You can't or you won't?"

"Okay, I won't."

Raidou rubbed at the back of his neck. He looked frustrated. "You're going to have to give me a little more than that to work with."

"Kakashi and I had a fight." Iruka paused. "Actually, before that, I saw Yamato. He called me down to the Division because I'd asked him to look into something for me. He showed me the body of a woman who bore the same brand as Kakashi and Genma."

"Ooohhh, you mean Genma's tramp stamp?"

"What?"

"I call it his tramp stamp. I read somewhere that in the old days… well, never mind that. What about it?"

"Kakashi has one too, but it's on his left hip bone." Iruka's expression must have clued Raidou in that he was being serious, so he kept quiet and didn't respond, simply waited for Iruka to keep talking. "This woman had the same brand, and was a surface-dweller like Kakashi and Genma. Raidou, she – she wasn't human. She was some kind of human-android crossover, a cyborg. I went home…"

"And you expected Kakashi to tell you it was a bunch of crap, right? But it wasn't."

Iruka's surprise must have shown on his face. "You know what Genma is, don't you? You know about the Infames."

Raidou sighed heavily and looked upward. He appeared to be thinking deeply about something. Finally he turned to Iruka, shifting on the bench until he could face Iruka properly, one hand along the back railing. "Yes, Genma told me about the Infames."

"Doesn't it bother you?" Iruka could hear his voice rising, a slight hint of hysteria coloring his tone. "Did he tell you about the Omega Mandate, Raidou? Did he?"

"Yes, he told me about the whole thing."

"Doesn't it freak you out, Raidou? That you are living with and fucking a cyborg? A bio-mechanical construct, designed to babysit the human race while it dies off? You're fucking crazier than I thought." Iruka sat back, staring at Raidou, daring him to contradict what he'd said.

Raidou snorted. "In case you hadn't noticed, I'm gay. So are you. Neither one of us was ever going to procreate – at least not willingly – so it's a moot point, isn't it? I'm sure Kakashi told you each Infamis is designed to imprint on its partner, as if they were made for you and you for them. It's a true relationship; working off each other, anticipating each other's needs and wants, providing them. Surely you've felt that '_programming'_?"

Iruka felt shock course through his system and trickle unpleasantly down his spine. He'd felt that; a constant desire to be with Kakashi, to touch him, make him happy, to give him pleasure, the need to _fuck_ him or be fucked in return. The type of need that was all-encompassing until it was sated. He'd thought it was just infatuation; the early stages of a relationship that would, in time, settle down to something less intense but just as enjoyable.

Raidou's voice broke into Iruka's stunned train-of-thought. "What the hell is wrong with that – it sounds pretty good to me."

Iruka sat there with his mouth open in shock. "Raidou…" he said. "You're okay with being manipulated by something that's not human? Something that clearly has an agenda – a thing whose actions are being controlled by another?"

"I'm not being manipulated, and I don't think they are being controlled, per se," Raidou said. "I've – "

"Kakashi is an _assassin_," Iruka bit out. "So is Genma, as is every Infames out there. Their mandate is to decimate humanity. And what exactly does _'bio-mechanical' _mean? Can they be tampered with? Are they going to break programming one day? Am I going to wake up to a knife at my throat, or not wake up at all? It frightens me, Raidou; the whole thing scares me to no end. It frightens me that reasonable people like you seem to think this is okay."

"Iruka." Raidou leaned forward and laid a heavy hand on Iruka's shoulder, pressing down, massaging into his tense muscles. "I think you're over thinking things."

"_Over_ thinking things? Raidou, what if they are sleepers? What if all this nicety is simply a cover for something else? What if… what if one day we wake up and every single Infames is hostile?"

"I think if that was the case, they would have acted as soon as World released the information into the system. Their cover has been blown, if you want to look at it from a classic assassination point of view. With their cover destroyed, they would act immediately to hide the truth. That hasn't happened. Look around you, the world is normal."

Iruka took a deep breath and did just that; he looked around. One person was walking along the sidewalk, bundled up against the cold, but other than that, nothing was out of place; no hysteria, no riots, nothing burning. "You think I'm over reacting."

"Yes, I do." Raidou squeezed Iruka's shoulder again and sat back, giving Iruka his space.

"So, you're not bothered that most of the human race is going to die off in the next twenty or thirty years, maybe even sooner?" Iruka said.

"Maybe it sounds cold," Raidou said seriously, "but I think I'm fine with that. We had our time, and we blew it in a big way. Maybe we deserve this."

Raidou's words mirrored Iruka's thoughts from that morning. It was uncomfortable to realize that although they disagreed on other points, on some they were in agreement.

"I suggest you stop worrying about something you can't change and is completely out of your control," Raidou said. "Didn't someone say a few millennium ago, 'Make love, not war'?"

"Genma's a fucking _machine_, Raidou." Iruka could hear the fatigue in his voice. Intense arguments always did that to him; wore him out, wore him down. Iruka wanted to go home.

"You didn't have a problem with Kakashi being a machine before you found out about this, Iruka. Judging by the well-fucked look on your face last time I saw you, that's the least of your worries."

A sudden memory of Kakashi on his knees, swallowing down Iruka's cock came to mind. Iruka took a shuddery breath as a wave of intense desire swept through him, making him ache with longing.

"Ah, there you go," Raidou said with a knowing wink. "You're in love or at the very least in lust, and nothing's going to change that fact. Go act on it and worry about the larger things later." He stood up, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Raidou, I can't do this," Iruka began in a panicky voice.

"Yes, you can." Raidou looked down at Iruka. "Go home and talk to Kakashi. If you can't trust anything else, trust me on this: seeing Kakashi will make you feel better. Give him the opportunity to explain things, but don't throw it all away without at least talking first."

Raidou was right, of course. This was why Iruka trusted Raidou, why they'd been friends for so long. He'd always been able to see past the tangle of unimportant things and get to the heart of the matter.

"I suppose you're right," Iruka admitted. He stood up, level with Raidou, and managed a wan smile. "Are you going home to Genma then?"

"Yep. He said he'd warm me up when I got back." Raidou winked, managing to make the gesture both filthy and full of implied meaning. "You should do the same thing with Kakashi." He waved and started walking toward the nearest tower.

Iruka stood there for long moments, thinking back over Raidou's words. He wanted to believe in what Raidou had said; he wanted to believe that what remained of humanity was safe, and would continue to remain so until The Omega Mandate had run its course.

"Fuck," Iruka said with feeling. "Fuck, fuck, fuck."

_Talk to Kakashi._ Raidou's words echoed in Iruka's head. Already Iruka could feel an infinitesimal pull of need threading through his psyche; the desire to be with Kakashi.

"Fuck," he said again for good measure, before taking quick strides toward the nearest tower, ignoring the thrill of anticipation and dread that coursed through him the closer he got to both Kakashi and home.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Iruka keyed open the door to his apartment and walked inside. The place felt empty; abandoned. He walked through the small living space and into the bedroom. Their bed hadn't been slept in; the sheets were still smooth and uncreased. It was somewhat of an anticlimax: Iruka was hoping that Kakashi would be home by now – and had been expecting the sort of messy, over-emotional fight that shredded your nerves and left you wrung out like a rag afterward. Instead, all he got was an empty apartment and the background hum of the climate control system.

He stood in the middle of the room, unsure what to do. Where was Kakashi? Shouldn't he have been back from Raidou's by now – unless he'd stayed to talk to Genma? Maybe he thought Iruka needed some space.

Iruka bit his lip and tried to ignore the way his heart pounded when he heard familiar footsteps outside the apartment, and then the sound of the door opening. He turned away, suddenly unable to actually look at Kakashi. _What am I afraid of? Am I worried I'll see something in his face – something final that says this is over, that it's a failed experiment? What if he decides this isn't worth it and breaks it off? Or am I afraid he might stay, that we might be committed to each other regardless, until the very end? What frightens me more?_

Iruka waited nervously as Kakashi toed off his shoes, refused to turn around even as he heard Kakashi walk up behind him. He felt a hand on his shoulder, unbelievably gentle and hesitant. "Iruka?"

Iruka turned to face Kakashi. He didn't even get a word out, caustic or not, before he was enfolded in Kakashi's embrace, pressed against that lean, strong (mechanical) body. "I was worried when you didn't come back." Kakashi sounded afraid but relieved and Iruka swallowed around a throat that ached with an emotion he couldn't quite name.

Iruka couldn't speak; he was at a loss for something to say. Instinct made him want to lash out and hurt Kakashi verbally but instead he stood there, let Kakashi hold him close, all the while trying not to melt into his embrace. He felt betrayed – that was the emotion he realized he been experiencing since last night and he wasn't sure how to fix how he felt. A part of him wanted to surrender to Kakashi, to let go, to be the way they were, but there were too many words between them.

Iruka pulled away, ignoring how Kakashi stiffened in his arms. He stepped back, putting enough distance between them so he could think rather than feel.

"Don't," he said. "You lied to me. Do you think you can just walk back in here and everything is going to be okay?"

"I didn't lie to you, not intentionally. I only withheld information until World had released it."

"Fuck, I am sick of hearing about World," Iruka snapped. "Fine, you _withheld_ information. What other surprises are you keeping to yourself until the time is right?"

"Nothing. I am everything you see here." Kakashi held out his hands, palms up, as if in surrender. He looked lost and standing there in worn jeans and one of Iruka's old t-shirts, his feet bare, he appeared almost frail. Iruka had never thought he'd ever see Kakashi look like that.

Again, that feeling of wanting to give in and surrender overwhelmed Iruka, and he forced it down ruthlessly. It was one of his biggest failings: to lash out verbally when he really wanted to do the opposite. Perhaps it was just part of being human; to hurt those you love the most.

"No wonder you can deep-throat like a champion, Kakashi. As a machine, you don't need to breathe and a gag-reflex is pretty much redundant, isn't it?"

Kakashi smiled; a weary, world-worn smile that somehow conveyed that he'd expected Iruka to say something along those lines. "I am more than my programming, Iruka, more than the sum of a few metal parts and some intricate circuitry. I think like a human, I feel things like a human. You wound me with words and you might as well take a knife to me and watch me bleed."

"Do you bleed?" Iruka snapped.

"Yes. I told you; I'm bio-mechanical. I can do a lot of things humans can. Would you like to cut me and find out?"

Iruka felt like a complete bastard. He was tired; worn out from riding a constant emotional rollercoaster. He wanted to let it go, give in, but he didn't have the words to express himself without looking like a fool.

"I'm sorry, Iruka. Sorry for what I am. I'm sorry that you cannot accept me as I am. Should I leave?"

Iruka felt his stomach turn at the thought of Kakashi walking away, of never seeing him again. "No," he said quickly, "no. I don't want you to leave." He took a hesitant step toward Kakashi. "Raidou says I'm an idiot, that I should embrace what we have – what we had – and worry about the larger things later."

Kakashi looked surprised and maybe hesitantly hopeful. "Raidou is a smart man," he replied carefully.

"He doesn't care that Genma is an Infames. He also doesn't care that the human race is going to mostly die off." Iruka paused. "Raidou's in love and can't see past Genma's perfect ass."

Kakashi grinned and Iruka felt something inside him loosen a little bit and let go. Suddenly he felt incredibly tired. "Kakashi? I know we need to talk, but can we do it later?"

"If you like. Do you want to sleep, or take a shower?"

"Maybe both? Do you mind?"

"Whatever you want, Iruka," Kakashi said. He took a hesitant step toward Iruka and when Iruka didn't move away, wrapped his arms around Iruka's waist, placing a gentle kiss on top of Iruka's head. "Whatever you want."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was dark when Iruka woke. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, and honestly he didn't really care. The revelations of the last couple of days had completely worn him out, leaving his mind almost blank. Iruka found that was easier to deal with; having an empty mind was far more soothing to the soul than having a brain full of conflict and confusion. He felt numb.

He could hear Kakashi in the kitchen, moving about. It was hard to imagine that a perfectly engineered construct could potter about aimlessly, but apparently they did. Perhaps he was rubbing off on Kakashi. He remembered what Kakashi had said: _You imprinted yourself onto me, and I onto you. _

Kakashi appeared in the doorway, a cup of coffee in hand, which he placed on the table beside the bed. "Feel better? How's your hand?" Kakashi asked.

"Okay. It hurts though." He kicked at the covers, moving over slightly so Kakashi could sit on the edge. "Kakashi…"

"Hm?"

"When you said I imprinted on you, what did you mean?"

Kakashi smoothed a hand over the bedspread, picking at a loose thread as he thought about Iruka's question. "Only that in a way, before I met you, I was a blank slate. But I did have emotions and feelings and a personality. For instance as you know, I like to read." He smiled – that hesitant smile again that told Iruka that Kakashi was still upset but was trying to act normally. "When you imprinted onto me, I took on some of your wants and needs, and the desire to fulfill them for you. It's like anticipating what you want before you ask for it. In return, the reverse is the same for you."

Iruka frowned. "So I've been reprogrammed to want to please you?"

"No, not quite. You still have free will, and you are still yourself. You can't be forced to do something you don't want to. But now we are both two parts of a whole, we complete each other. Every Infamis was born to imprint onto the human that chooses them. Therefore I desire you, and you desire me to the exclusion of everyone else. For me, pleasing you is what I was born to do."

"Doesn't that bother you?" Iruka asked curiously.

"No. It's who I am. If you let me, I will always be yours."

Iruka felt that he should be bothered by that, should worry that he'd been paired with another being to the exclusion of all others. That someone else had had the final say about who he'd spend the rest of his life with. Instead, he felt warm inside and he wondered if that was the imprint – a sort of reward for accepting the situation. Raidou didn't have a problem with the situation after all, hell; he seemed to embrace it wholeheartedly.

He felt Kakashi shift on the bed. "I should leave you to sleep," Kakashi said.

Iruka reached out a hand and touched Kakashi on the arm. Cool, smooth skin. He'd missed touching Kakashi; he felt the need to touch more of him. Was that the imprint, or Iruka's true desire? Did it really matter? He let his fingers drift along Kakashi's arm, watching Kakashi for a reaction. He seemed frozen into place, either unable to move or scared to move and break the tentative contact Iruka was offering him.

Iruka let his fingers glide further up Kakashi's arm, sitting up just enough so he could keep contact. He trailed his hand along Kakashi's shoulder, feeling him shiver as he brushed over the opening of his t-shirt, and his bare neck.

"Iruka…" Kakashi closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath. "If you intend to stop, you had better do so now," Kakashi warned in a husky voice. He opened his eyes again, and his pleading expression was like a punch to the gut.

Desire curled in Iruka's belly. He wanted Kakashi. Was it so surprising after everything they'd talked about? The discussion changed nothing, he realized. Kakashi was everything that Iruka wanted, and really, what did it matter how they arrived at where they were? As time passed and the imprint grew stronger, it was entirely possible that things would only get more intense.

And suddenly, Iruka didn't want to fight it. He knew how he felt about Kakashi. "Kakashi, I want you," Iruka said hesitantly. He met Kakashi's gaze, almost afraid.

Kakashi took Iruka's uninjured hand in his, and rubbed his thumb along the palm. "Even if I'm a cyborg – a machine?"

Iruka nodded. "Yes. I want _you_, no matter what you are." When Iruka spoke, he realized it was the truth, something he'd been hiding from himself. He did want Kakashi, regardless of what he was, or what his agenda might be.

Kakashi leaned forward and kissed Iruka. Gently at first, with care, like Iruka was the most precious thing in the world. After a few moments, Iruka tilted his head to get a better angle and parted his lips in invitation. Kakashi moaned; a low, husky sound that sent a thrill of longing through Iruka's body. He shifted on the bed, wound his hand around the nape of Kakashi's neck, and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss, until they were both panting with need.

Kakashi's strong arms wrapped around Iruka, pulling him up. Iruka kicked at the sheets until he was free of them and straddled Kakashi's lap. He gasped when he felt Kakashi's erection rub against his and he rolled his hips, wanting to feel more. Kakashi bucked upward and moaned, pulling at Iruka's hips, dragging him across his lap, creating more wonderful friction. Iruka hadn't been so turned on in ages. His breathe stuttered in his throat every time Kakashi moved. His head fell forward and he dug his fingers into Kakashi's shoulders, gripping hard.

"Fuck, Iruka," Kakashi panted. "Don't stop."

Iruka nuzzled into Kakashi's neck, grazing his teeth over sensitive skin. He curled his hand in Kakashi's hair and pulled his head back, biting down. The effect was gratifying; Kakashi shuddered and made a strangled noise that shot straight to Iruka's groin. His fingers tightened on Iruka's hips, gripping hard. Iruka bucked against Kakashi, but was held firmly in place by his hands. With a growl, Iruka pushed Kakashi back onto the bed.

"Off," he commanded, pulling at Kakashi's t-shirt. Kakashi obeyed, moving slowly, teasing Iruka as he pulled his shirt off, unbuttoning his jeans with a quick flick of his wrist, moving to push them off. Iruka watched, still straddling Kakashi's hips. He shifted teasingly and stroked his hand down Kakashi's torso, pressing down with his palm, feeling every muscle in Kakashi's abdomen, then down to his navel and across his belly.

Kakashi may be a machine; a bio-mechanical construct, but he still felt human. That dichotomy was a turn-on, Iruka decided. Just how strong was Kakashi? What could he do if given free rein to show both sides – the mechanical and the human?

"What are you thinking about?" Kakashi's voice was husky, slightly breathless. Iruka watched his chest rise and fall, wondered if he really was breathing, despite what he'd said to Kakashi earlier. "Don't get introspective on me now."

Iruka trailed his fingers down across Kakashi's belly, teasing the sensitive skin. He looked at Kakashi, and smiled coyly. "So… what exactly can you do with this body of yours? Now that you've told me everything…"

Kakashi rested his hands on Iruka's hips. "Hmm. So what you really want to know is how flexible I am? Could I fuck you over and over until you pass out and probably still keep going?"

Iruka laughed nervously, even as a thrill of excitement ran through his body at Kakashi's words, making his cock harden almost painfully. The thought that yes, Kakashi could completely dominate him and his body if he chose to do so.

Kakashi surged upward, taking Iruka in a hard kiss that stole his remaining breath. He moved to the side, tipping Iruka off balance and then rolled over until Iruka was underneath him. "How willing are you to find out?"

Iruka froze as a jolt of pure animalistic lust shot down his spine. _Fuck, it should be illegal to say things like that._

Kakashi grinned cockily and then winked; moving faster than Iruka could comprehend, flipping him over onto his stomach. Iruka felt Kakashi settle over him, chest to back, the long, hard line of his erection sliding down the crack of Iruka's bare ass. Iruka bucked upward, trying to spread his legs but finding them trapped by Kakashi's thighs on either side.

He felt Kakashi shift again, teasing with his cock, while he listened to Kakashi rummaging around in the side table. As Kakashi settled again, he nosed Iruka's neck, pushing his hair out of the way. "That's better. I want to see your face."

Iruka heard the sound of a cap popping. _Lube_. He moaned, eyes fluttering closed, body tensing, waiting for the first touch of cool gel on his heated skin. Fuck, he wanted this so badly. Instead, he felt Kakashi curl one hand around Iruka's wrist, the other brushing against his hip, a gentle warning.

Iruka didn't want gentle. He rocked upward again, grinding into Kakashi as much as his position would allow. He heard Kakashi mutter under his breath, and shift his hips, follow by the cool glide of slicked fingers against his hole. "Yes," he gasped, pushing out as Kakashi pressed a finger in.

"Love the sounds you make," Kakashi said breathlessly. He pushed in further, pulling back just enough to create the friction Iruka loved, pressing back in and swirling his finger, stretching Iruka slowly.

Iruka clenched his teeth and held back a moan, curling his fist in the sheets. He pushed back onto Kakashi's finger, rolling his hips. The friction of his cock against the sheets wasn't enough, instead it was maddening, frustrating. He couldn't spread his legs; Kakashi's thighs held him firmly in place.

Kakashi added a second finger, began to thrust in and out in a parody of fucking. "Kakashi," Iruka pleaded. "More. Oh god, please… fuck. _More_."

He could feel Kakashi's kisses across his shoulder blades, the restless roll of his hips. Finally Kakashi moved enough to slide one leg between Iruka's, and using the freedom to move that he suddenly had, Iruka pushed backward onto Kakashi's fingers. Fuck, it felt _so_ good.

He lost himself in the rhythm Kakashi dictated, the way his own body reacted. Both fists clenched into the sheets, harsh, panting gasps pulled from his throat. He spread his legs wider, felt Kakashi push deeper inside him, fingertips grazing over his prostate, sending jolts of sensation up his spine. His body began to tremble and he squeezed his eyes closed.

It was almost too much. "Please, fuck me," he panted.

He felt Kakashi's breath against his neck, almost like breathless laughter. "Hmm, maybe I want to see you come like this. All spread out, your body begging for release. I can taste your sweat; feel the heat of your body, the way you tighten around me. So very human." Kakashi pressed deep, let Iruka fuck himself onto Kakashi's fingers over and over again.

Iruka's body felt hypersensitive. He was a trembling mess, wound tight, tighter than ever before. Kakashi's hand around his wrist was like a burning brand, every point their bodies touched was electric.

_Just a little more, oh god, almost there – _

Kakashi moved; just enough to pull free of Iruka's body, leaving him teetering on the edge of orgasm. Iruka let out a frustrated whimper, tried to convince his body to let go, but the lack of stimulation prevented it. With a shuddering breath, he collapsed onto the bed with a moan.

After moments, he felt Kakashi's lips on his back, kissing his way up his spine. "Beautiful," Kakashi breathed against Iruka's neck. A gentle hand on Iruka's hip, persuading him to roll over onto his back. Iruka lie there, limbs loose and heavy, while the sharp curl of desire twisted in his gut. His cock strained against his belly, achingly hard and Iruka spread his legs, rolling his hips. He couldn't stop himself; he planted his feet on the mattress and trailed his hand across his chest, all the while watching Kakashi for a reaction.

Kakashi looked stunned, a little wide-eyed. He licked his lips and his gaze darted up to Iruka's. Iruka felt empowered, knowing he could pull such a response from Kakashi. He watched Kakashi watch him; arching his back and moaning, sliding his hand lower, teasingly close to the head of his own cock. He could feel his skin, damp with pre-come and he moved as if to wrap his hand around the base of his erection.

Kakashi's eyes narrowed, a feral grin Iruka's only warning when Kakashi lunged forward, grabbing Iruka by the waist and dragging him forward onto his lap until Iruka was spread before him, ass resting on his thighs. He leaned over Iruka, palm sliding under his back for support. Kakashi took one of Iruka's nipples in his mouth, sucking and nipping at it until it hardened under his touch. In return, Iruka fisted his hand in Kakashi's hair, dragged his nails down Kakashi's back; did it again when Kakashi kissed Iruka's lips with a bruising intensity. Iruka loved the way Kakashi's breath came fast and unsteady, the way his back arched into Iruka's touch despite the pain.

He felt Kakashi's cock brush against his ass and then Kakashi shifted, leaning back just enough to reach a hand between them, guiding himself into Iruka. Iruka gasped, arched upward and pushed back onto Kakashi's cock, his fists gripping the sheets for leverage. This was what he wanted: Kakashi, deep inside him. Kakashi started to move, rolling his hips slowly at first, then faster, deeper as Iruka wrapped his legs around Kakashi's waist. Iruka reached out, planting his hand against the headboard, pushing back and meeting every flex of Kakashi's powerful hips and thighs.

Kakashi paused, cock pressed deep inside Iruka, rolling his hips and grinding down. Iruka gasped out, "Please, don't stop, don't –"

"Shhh," Kakashi soothed. "Trust me, I won't leave you hanging." He unwound Iruka's legs from around his waist, stroking up the inside of Iruka's trembling thighs, brushing his thumbs against Iruka's balls. Iruka moaned; bit his lip as Kakashi pushed his legs up, hands on the backs of his thighs, spreading him wide.

Iruka felt totally exposed to Kakashi's gaze. His felt his face flush hot and looked away, draping one hand over his eyes.

"None of that," Kakashi said, pulling his hand away. "You look amazing. Look at me, Iruka."

Iruka opened his eyes, watched as Kakashi smirked, shifted back a little and tilted his hips, then leaned over Iruka. His hands slid along the back of Iruka's thighs, exposing him further, holding him in place. Iruka watched in amazement as Kakashi curled himself forward, then further, until his hot breath ghosted across Iruka's cock. At the first touch of Kakashi's mouth on his aching erection, Iruka let out a shuddering moan. Kakashi wrapped his lips around the head of Iruka's cock, sliding down slowly, curling his tongue against the sensitive underside. Iruka's mind blanked in a haze of pleasure and he arched upward as much as he could, pushing into Kakashi's willing mouth. Kakashi's fingers gripped tight on the backs of Iruka's thighs, and he knew it would leave small bruises, but it didn't matter. Not when Kakashi was pulling back, grazing his teeth along Iruka's erection before swallowing him down again. Not when he moved his hips, rocking up into Iruka's body. Not when he combined both actions at once, making Iruka cry out.

Iruka gritted his teeth and took it; he had no choice, no leverage, could only claw at the sheets under him as Kakashi found his rhythm, the smooth thrust of his hips, the slide of his lips around Iruka's cock. Again, Iruka felt that exhilarating sensation as Kakashi swallowed, relaxing his throat and taking Iruka deep, and his strength as Kakashi flexed his hips, grinding up against Iruka's prostate.

And then Kakashi looked at him, really looked at him, like he was staring into Iruka's soul, and it was simply too much. Too much sensation, too much emotion, too much stimulation, drawing his nerves tight, his thighs trembling, his belly aching with the need to come, to get go, to give Kakashi what he wanted. Wound tight, Iruka's orgasm snapped through him with a ferocity that took his breath away. Kakashi hummed approvingly around Iruka's cock as he swallowed his come, drawing another wave of pleasure from Iruka's over-sensitized body. He pulled back, licking at the head of Iruka's softening cock, gripped Iruka's waist, and snapped his hips forward.

Iruka had no breath left, or he probably would have screamed. He laid there, every one of Kakashi's thrusts making him gasp with pleasured shock. Kakashi leaned down, wrapped his arms around Iruka, and set a punishing pace. Iruka could feel Kakashi's erratic movements, feel the way his body tightened, knew the moment it became simply too much for him. He felt Kakashi pause for the barest of moments before he groaned into Iruka's neck as he came, cock pulsing in Iruka's ass.

It was a long time before either of them moved. Once Iruka's breathing had calmed down, he pushed Kakashi to the side, felt his softened cock slip from his ass.

"Don't wanna move," Kakashi mumbled, and Iruka laughed. Kakashi had never sounded so human than at that moment and he felt a wave of tenderness for Kakashi.

"Me either," Iruka agreed, pushing a strand of Kakashi's sweaty hair off his face. He plucked at the covers, feeling a chill as the sweat dried on his skin. He maneuvered himself under the covers and poked at Kakashi. "Get in."

Kakashi grumbled, but after a few seconds slid under the covers as well, settling against Iruka's side and resting his head on Iruka's shoulder.

"Kakashi?" Iruka paused. "That thing I said this morning, about your gag-reflex. I take it all back."

Iruka felt Kakashi laugh and then move so he could look up at Iruka. "I told you, there are lots of pluses to being a bio-mechanical construct. I'm sure I can raise the bar if you give me enough positive reinforcement."

Iruka's smile faded. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I'm sorry for doubting you. Forgive me?"

Kakashi leaned up and kissed Iruka on the corner of his mouth before he settled down again. "There's nothing to forgive."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Six Months Later_

"Who else are we meeting?" Genma asked, walking beside Raidou.

Iruka turned and looked over his shoulder, down the narrow, dark valley created by the accommodation blocks. "Yamato. He's bringing Hisako with him."

Raidou laughed. "Typical. Trust Yamato to get a girlfriend at the last second, right as the human race dances its last. Lucky bastard."

Iruka settled his pack on his shoulders more firmly and turned to Kakashi. "Are you sure this is what you want?" he asked. "We won't be coming back."

Kakashi nodded, taking hold of Iruka's hand. "Yes. I want to be with you; wherever you go, so will I."

"Good. I'm glad." Iruka grinned. "Where are we going, exactly?"

"Yes," Genma piped up. "Do tell us. The suspense is killing me. Never mind the fact I had no idea what to pack."

Kakashi laughed. "I looked in the archives and World mentioned a large island, just off the coast. Apparently, if we walk east for about seven or eight days we should meet the ocean. Just across from that is a place called Whirling Tide Island."

"And it's uninhabited?" Iruka asked.

"World thinks so. There was a village there once, thousands of years ago, but it was destroyed in a war. It should be a good place to start over."

"I like the sound of it: a whole island to ourselves, to make a new home in."

As they neared the edge of the city towers, Iruka paused where the road ended. He could see the flat wasteland beyond, where crops were grown to feed the city. The road simply ended at the fields; the city was self-sustaining, or it had been until recently, and there was no need to travel beyond its limits.

"That is totally bizarre," Raidou commented, staring at the end of the road. "Are you sure this is right, Kakashi?"

"As sure as I can be," he replied. "Last chance," Kakashi whispered, leaning close to Iruka so nobody could overhear. "Are you sure you don't want to stay, continue teaching?"

Iruka shook his head. "No. Classes are almost non-existent now. I won't have a job anyway come next term. I think I prefer to start over, having the people I care for around me, rather than watch the last death throes of the human race." He paused, glancing back along the darkened avenue of buildings. "How long do you think before the towers go dark, Kakashi? Before the cities crumble? Even now I can see the outer towers are derelict, some of the windows broken and open to the elements. Do you think people will stay, or will they seek something better outside the city?"

Kakashi squeezed Iruka's hand gently. "You can't worry about that, Iruka. You can't waste your energy thinking of those that choose to stay, to die in decadence. It's their right to do so, if that's what they choose, and there's nothing wrong with that. If other people find us on Whirling Tide Island, so be it. If not…" he shrugged. "If not, then maybe World was right." He leaned in and kissed Iruka.

"Oh god," muttered Genma. "Get over it, the both of you. Let's go find Yamato and his girlfriend." With that, Genma turned around and stepped out into the field, Raidou following closely behind.

Iruka paused at the edge. He could feel the chill of the shadows cast by the towers, knew that just two steps ahead, the sunlight shone. The start of a new life, with Kakashi.

He felt Kakashi tug at his hand, as if to say, _shall we?_

Iruka took a deep breath, tucked all his fears away, and stepped into the sunshine, with Kakashi at his side.

End.


End file.
